Commute Joe is whining about MAX...but could give a shit about bus riders

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So, how many TriMet employees does it take to send out a Twitter message about MAX melting down?

Probably just one. But the 16-ton bureaucracy of Oregon's largest transit agency can turn something as simple as sending out a 140-character message into roadkill.

In fact, many of the 5,000 commuters who follow TriMet's Twitter feed expecting timely service alerts will tell you that the agency's use of social media is a joke.

Of course, Commuter Joe has probably never ridden a bus to know what it's like to deal with when the bus doesn't show up...TriMet at least makes an effort with MAX disruptions. All those "Rider Guides" that get dispatched to help MAX riders - you'll never see them around a bus disruption. Transit Tracker signs...good luck finding one at a bus stop (outside of the Transit Mall or the few stops off, but adjacent to, the mall). And a lot of bus riders don't have cell phones...so Twitter is utterly useless to them.