Seattlest Pix 09Nov24
Tuesdays are Muppet Days
Seattlest Pix 09Nov23
Can't Miss It: Monday
Thanksgiving Pairing Suggestion: Sides with a Pint
We predict next year will see even higher numbers at Metro Transit as job growth continues and "gas prices remain high." Ridership is going to skyrocket when either the Viaduct closes to traffic or light rail starts coming on line, but neither of those will likely happen in 2007.The bus people have dutifully reported to the Seattle Times that this year's numbers are 7% higher than last year, about 7 million more boardings than 2006. And why?
Gasoline prices cause high bus ridership, said Mark Hallenbeck, director of the Washington State Transportation Center at the University of Washington. "A small increase has no effect, but when it gets to be $3 a gallon, it's one of those places where people say, 'Whooo.'"We don't own a car, but the last time we borrowed one and filled the tank, we totally said, "Whooo!"
When that 25-cent fare increase hits in March...let's see, gotta calculate up...carry the exponent...Metro could be making 1,925,000 extra dollars per year (not really, we're just multiplying 0.25 by 7% of total boardings, for a quick estimate). A peak 1-zone fare will be $1.75, so make sure you're carrying around three quarters during commute times.
Here are a few things Metro could spend that money on. (Are you listening, Kevin Desmond's Google alert?) Pre-pay, plastic-taking kiosks (seems to work for parking meters). High-traffic boarding stations at bus height for no-kneel, no-ramp entrance and exit. No ride-free zone. More system maps at bus stops. More contact info at bus stops (how to check arrival times with your cell phone, who to call for help, who to call if a bus has gone missing). Fewer bus stops with no info (there's a three-stop stretch from Broadway to 15th on Pine with no bus schedules). Real-time bus times. Pay-in-advance bus passes (like phone cards). Bus shelters that actually shelter.
What's the biggest low-cost thing Metro's not doing that it could do? It's not drawing upon its engaged, highly vocal ridership. Besides making disgruntled bus riders feel like they need to unionize to be heard, Metro overlooks how much real-time information could come streaming in if it just asked. Bus delays, driver ratings, traffic tie-ups, vandalized stops, unsafe areas: these things don't require Metro staffing. They just need to tell riders who to email/text/call.
Freaking gorgeous photo courtesy of Seattlest Flickr pool member Timwillis.
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www.mybus.org for all your metro-tracking needs. Metro's customer service department doesn't want to deal with it, so they don't advertise the site and it's services. It will text-messege you where your bus is and it's expected arrival at the stop you select.
See? This is the kind of shit I'm talking about. Thx, langston.
Why no ride-free zone? It's a great convenience downtown.
What would be great would be the ability for people to more easily buy multi-ride fare types so boarding and alighting would be faster.
My gripe about the bus system here is that there are too many lines that run too infrequently. I can take 4 different lines downtown, each from a different stop, each with a slightly different route, and each with at least 20 minutes headway between buses. I'd rather have a choice of 2 lines that ran no less than 10 minutes apart.
If the bus system wants to attract new riders, it needs to be less complex, more predictable and reflect the reality of today's commute patterns (e.g. more people traveling EAST across the lake than West.)
If you say the ride-free zone is useful, I'll listen. I rarely get to take advantage of it, myself, and only experience the "rolling homeless shelter" side of it. Also, it's a minor thing, but it seems to be responsible for the weird pay getting on or getting off change-up, depending on whether you're heading to or from downtown.
"If the bus system wants to attract new riders" it will need to kick lousy bums, punks, and drug dealers off of the bus downtown. This means, lose the ride free zone. Want convenience? Buy a pass or ticket book.
The ride free zone stinks, literally. Going to work on the 43 in the morning is OK. Coming home makes me nauseous. The reeking smell of urine and smoke reminds me day after day of how convenient the ride free zone really is.
The aforementioned comments about the disgust of the ride-free zone leave me very disappointed. I would expect this from some NIMBY-ass blog, but not the Seattlest. Have a little perspective. As one who utilizes public transportation (most often the 43), I can relate to the plights and slight discomforts of riding w/folks whose hygiene leaves little to be desired. If the ride-free zone were eliminated, those low-incomers would have no way of getting to much needed medical, mental health, court appointments. What are their other alternatives? Would it be better if they didn't go to appointments at all, thus perpetuating problems/issues? Breaking parole? Not taking psych meds? Shooting up on the street? (okay, I know that happens anyway) Most low-income service providers are intentionally located downtown, so their clients are able to access them. Are we saying that poor people don't have a right to transportation, b/c they are exactly that...poor?
NMKS, if the ride-free zone is aimed at helping low-income people, it's news to me. I understood it was created so tourists and downtown workers could zip around the downtown core. It has no cost-benefit to anyone who has to travel into it or outside of it (see the map, here).
I don't think much its usefulness, currently. If the question is how to help keep Metro affordable for low-income riders, then let's do something system-wide.
MvB hit the nail on the head. The RFZ isn't going anywhere. Not unless we get prepaid bus boarding system wide. It's just too much hassle downtown to get people to pay while getting on and off the bus in the busiest of sections. It would easily add 2-3 minutes each stop (every 2-3 blocks) for a mile and a half? That's an extra 10-15 minutes to get through downtown. eep!