Clusterf*** at SeaTac

Now that it's really summer, tourists are showing up at SeaTac from all over. And they're taking a Metro bus into town. With gas at $4.50, even locals returning to Seattle are taking the bus. And the 194 should be perfect: service every 15 minutes for a 30-minute, two-buck ride.

But what happens? Even when the bus (one of the double-length, articulated models) shows up on time, it takes almost half an hour to load. The driver has to explain the rules and the routes while each and every newbie, armed with a list of addresses and dragging cumbersme luggage, tries to come up with exact fare. "Do you go to Pike's Market? How about the Space Needle, then? Isn't Seattle Center downtown? And where should I have lunch?" Locals aren't much better. "How do I get to Greenwood?"

C'mon, guys. The folks at SeaTac and Metro need to get their act together and put an information booth out at the bus stop. Schedules, maps, tickets, and a dispatcher to get the buses loaded and keep traffic moving. Like every other big city in the world.

More Metro frustrations at SeattleTransitBlog.