I still remember when a European contingent toured our "great" mass transit system to "learn" from us several years ago ... and when they left they were laughing their heads off.
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I
pay my $10 every day to drive downtown and park next to the building I
work in - even though there's a MAX stop just two blocks away and my
senior-discounted daily MAX would be less than a dollar a day.
Why? Because I am sick of the slow trains that waste another extra hour of my workday, and I am sick of often not finding a comfortable seat to sit in poorly designed cars in too-short trains, and I am sick of being stuck in a major train delay that seems to happen at least once every two weeks. What an awful mass transit system that is not worth even the low price.
Why? Because I am sick of the slow trains that waste another extra hour of my workday, and I am sick of often not finding a comfortable seat to sit in poorly designed cars in too-short trains, and I am sick of being stuck in a major train delay that seems to happen at least once every two weeks. What an awful mass transit system that is not worth even the low price.
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TriMet
won't do anything, nor will solicit any opinions for bus riders about
buses, but - when it comes to MAX, TriMet's crack, overpaid, overstaffed
Marketing department goes full tilt to show they care about the
public.
Never mind - one in three buses still doesn't have air conditioning. Slightly fewer are high floor buses, still dependent on unreliable lifts. Or that so many buses are at crush load, buses frequently pass up waiting riders - last week I had two buses pass me by before I could get on a bus (and a standing room only one, at that) to get home. I don't see TriMet asking whether we would like more articulated buses, or double-deck buses.
Or that transit isn't just about going from point A to point B but the total experience - Seattle, and many other cities, have long distance commuter buses with plush seats, reading lights, Wi-Fi and power outlets...why hasn't TriMet asked for our opinions on that? Or just the seat choice? Or colors?
TriMet has bent over and placated MAX riders enough. It's time TriMet actually pay attention to the bus riders, who for over ten years have suffered through disinvestment and getting table scraps, while TriMet spent the savings account which was supposed to go towards replacing buses and bought more MAX lines instead. TriMet has intentionally not purchased new buses, and the average age of a TriMet bus is actually older than the Federal Transit Administration recommended maximum bus age.
And before anyone goes and says "but, but, TriMet IS buying new buses!" - TriMet has nearly 300 buses that should be retired. TriMet is getting 60 this year, and another 50 next year. Meanwhile, TriMet's existing bus fleet will continue to age, so that its "newer" buses (in particular the 2000-2100 series buses should have been retired this year, and the 2200 and 2300s within the next couple of years) will then be in need of replacement but will continue to be operated beyond its lifespan. TriMet needs to have 300 new buses on the property THIS year...not 50 over six years.
Never mind - one in three buses still doesn't have air conditioning. Slightly fewer are high floor buses, still dependent on unreliable lifts. Or that so many buses are at crush load, buses frequently pass up waiting riders - last week I had two buses pass me by before I could get on a bus (and a standing room only one, at that) to get home. I don't see TriMet asking whether we would like more articulated buses, or double-deck buses.
Or that transit isn't just about going from point A to point B but the total experience - Seattle, and many other cities, have long distance commuter buses with plush seats, reading lights, Wi-Fi and power outlets...why hasn't TriMet asked for our opinions on that? Or just the seat choice? Or colors?
TriMet has bent over and placated MAX riders enough. It's time TriMet actually pay attention to the bus riders, who for over ten years have suffered through disinvestment and getting table scraps, while TriMet spent the savings account which was supposed to go towards replacing buses and bought more MAX lines instead. TriMet has intentionally not purchased new buses, and the average age of a TriMet bus is actually older than the Federal Transit Administration recommended maximum bus age.
And before anyone goes and says "but, but, TriMet IS buying new buses!" - TriMet has nearly 300 buses that should be retired. TriMet is getting 60 this year, and another 50 next year. Meanwhile, TriMet's existing bus fleet will continue to age, so that its "newer" buses (in particular the 2000-2100 series buses should have been retired this year, and the 2200 and 2300s within the next couple of years) will then be in need of replacement but will continue to be operated beyond its lifespan. TriMet needs to have 300 new buses on the property THIS year...not 50 over six years.
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How
about seats that arrive on time? Seats that will get me to my
destination as advertises in the schedule. TriMet is the only transit
agency that has such a wide disclaimer of the times the trains and buses
will actually run. So, TriMet, I don't give a rap what the seats are
like, only that they arrive on time ! Or do you want to put the riders
in comfy seats so your sloppy, haphazard scheduling will be easier to
tolerate?
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The airport train is handy but the is no
place for bags. If it is crowded people complain that your bag is taking
up seat of isle space.
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My
biggest complaint is the big open spaces with nothing to hold onto. At
least the Type 2 and 3 trains have the middle handhold that you can hold
onto. Nothing is worse than on a crowded train and you are falling all
over each other when the train moves.
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