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Thursday, January 2, 2014

Excellent article on why mass transit does not attract more riders

Too bad. If the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (called Metro) had provided Carmen with a better transit experience, she might not have wanted to join the car-bound millions who commute in Los Angeles. But I can hardly blame her for taking the car rather than the bus.
After all, her KIA minivan, although no luxury vehicle, includes loads of passenger leg room, a driver's seat with lumbar support, adjustable air conditioning and heating, one-touch power windows, front and rear reading lights, and an AM/FM radio and CD player with six stereo speakers.
Compare that to the knees-against-seat-back benches on even the newest Metro buses, where a thin layer of upholstery conceals stamped metal, where a TV monitor up front mutters continuously, where everything you need for the day has to be carried on your back, where heat and cold are facts rather than personal preferences, and where you have no control over any part of the experience except the choice to get on and get off the bus.
 Read the article: 
Is Public Transit in L.A. a Humane Experience? | Where We Are | SoCal Focus | KCET

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