OneBusAway, Our Personal Savior, Is Not Leaving Us

Frequently, we're the bearers of bad news. Today is not that day.

This morning, OneBusAway's Brian Ferris**, who we hold singularly responsible for our ability to get to work on time, and get home safely without a 45-minute layover on Aurora, responded to the concerns of Metro-using Seattlelites everywhere. And we are not being abandoned.

First, we must pay due homage to KUOW reporter Amy Radil, who first brought attention to the story with a report released yesterday. In the report, Radil explained the roots and uses of OBA, and the uncertain future of the program, now that Ferris is graduating.

Second, we must apologize to Mr. Ferris, who is now, according to his Twitter account, angry with us for being "sensationalist." Which is fair, but honestly, his service is critical to our daily well-being. We weren't being bombastic--we were genuinely exceptionally concerned.

And third, we'd like to bring attention to Mr. Ferris' blog post. Here is part of it, but we encourage you to read the entire thing:

My goal is that some day soon, you'll be getting all your transit info from Google. I'm sure some of you are skeptical of this goal, but I hope to change your mind. While I don't claim to speak for my future employer, Google already has some of the best tools anywhere for helping pedestrians, bicyclists, transit riders, and yes even car drivers, and they are only going to get better.

And also...

OneBusAway is NOT "abandoning Seattle". I'm doing everything in my power to make sure the lights stay on and while I can't say exactly what that will look like at this time, know that there are a number of options on the table and I'm confident we'll find a solution going forward.

That sound? That is a collective, temporary sigh of relief.

However, we'd like to point out the fact that the strong response that our article received yesterday was less a reflection of being overly dramatic, and more of a mark as to how unreliable, difficult, and unpleasant riding King County Metro's buses is without OneBusAway. It's a shame that a third-party application, designed by a (totally awesome) grad student had to come in and save what King County Metro couldn't seem to resolve of its own accord. The thought of attempting to navigate the murky world of Seattle's city buses without some kind of guiding light is enough to keep us in our homes for the foreseeable future. But we don't have it.

So, everyone, it's going to be OK. For now.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@seattlest.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By hanna brooks olsen in News on June 14, 2011 9:30 AM

Comments [rss]

Jeff Welch

Riding the bus is "unreliable, difficult and unpleasant" without OneBusAway?

Nonsense. Most people don't use the app (useful thogh it be), and EVERYONE didn't use it before it existed. We used (and most still use) things called "schedules", and when buses ran late we did something called "waiting". Oddly enough, we survived from one day to the next and would continue to do so if OBA imploded tomorrow without a replacement of any kind.

Hanna Brooks Olsen

While your ability to logically and soundly refute an opinion is admirable, Jeff, the response that the potential demise of OBA caused would indicate that a vast number of Metro riders do rely on this app. Because these "schedules" (I apologize, because I'm a little slow, but are these new? I've never heard of these) are often outdated, unreliable, or entirely incorrect.

Unreliable, I should clarify, in the sense that they cannot be relied upon, due to traffic, weather, construction, acts of God, etc. Real-time updates are more than just convenient--they ensure that riders can actually plan adequately. Schedules (from what I hear--you'll still have to let me know exactly what they are) can't.

It is not a matter of survival, Jeff. It is a matter of less time spent in the rain. And considering the outcry that followed our initial piece, I believe you are, in this situation, in the minority.