I have to rant about riding the bus

[LisaM]

It has gotten increasingly unpleasant to ride the bus. Ridership is up, and the number of buses seems to be down. High school kids have been handed passes, and they fill up the buses, which sometimes drive past commuter stops because they are full, not to mention their atrocious manners and their habitual swearing. My bus (the 41) is always packed, always late, and I cannot count on it to get anyplace on time. They re-routed it when they closed the bus tunnel, added a lot of time-consuming stops that are spaced many blocks apart, it doesn't stop at the same stop as its companion 66 bus, and the people who ride it (and all buses) are becoming more and more obnoxious! This morning my feet were stepped on twice, I was hit in the head with a pair of tennis shoes some kid had hanging on his shoulder, and nudged by a few back packs. I just missed one bus, and the next one was late. At least 30 people had to stand up (this is common) and it took me 50 minutes to get downtown from Northgate and I was late for work. I could go on and on.

[TechBear_Seattle]

1. I feel your pain, but...

Unless you are just venting steam, you might want to direct your comments to both the Seattle City Council and the King County Council. They are the ones who can actually do something.

[LisaM]

2. Well I called Metro

The woman was pleasant (and, amazingly, so was I) but she didn't seem to get it. She kept asking me "what bus was this?" as if the problem is somehow limited to just one bus or one driver on one day.

I should call King County, I guess, and perhaps the Seattle Public Schools to suggest that they inform their students how to be courteous passengers, but I was also curious to see if others have had the experience that the comfort level of riding the bus is really dropping off or if it's just me.

[maxsolomon]

3. did you know the 41 is my stepdaughter's least favorite bus route?

mainly because when the tunnel was open, it came every 10 minutes, and she had to wait for the 71, which is every 30 minutes.

you could have it worse.

but i agree, teenagers on Metro are unpleasant, and, occasionally, rascist.

[LisaM]

4. The 358 is my least favorite for that same reason

Sometimes there will be 3 of them to 1 of my 41. I think the glory days of the 41 have passed into the mists of antiquity, though I had heard that complaint from tunnel users before. I never noticed it myself, and there's plenty of times (after 5:30, and I get out of work at 6:00 ususally) they don't run every ten minutes. The way the 70 buses are set up must be maddening to those who ride them. There are 3 different versions of the 73, for example. I got on one once thinking I could get home on it, and it stopped in the U District, and turned around to head back downtown. I got off it, took another bus back to the Ave, and caught yet a third bus (66) to get home.

And where's Kinnear? When I go to the Seattle Rep from downtown, I have to get on a bus that says, "Kinnear" - how in the world would anyone know to take that to the Seattle Center, espeically an out of towner? The buses here are the worst I've seen for telling you where they go. They have the name of the ultimate destination but no interim ones, as they do in other cities. To get to Northgate I take a bus that says "Lake City" - not to be confused with the other two buses also labelled "Lake City" for vastly different routes. If you want to get to the U Village, there is no bus that says that. There is one bus that says "Maple Leaf" (where I live) but I don't even think it actually goes there.

[flamingyouth]

5. Apparently the problem is going to get worse.

I read this article about a month ago in the P-I that the Seattle School District will shift more students to Metro buses in the future:

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/transportation/303249_bus10.html

I used to ride the bus to Bellevue when I lived on First Hill. Oh and btw, Kinnear is on Queen Anne.

[LisaM]

6. The schools aren't even PAYING for students to ride the bus?

I have friends in Ballard and Fremont who have experienced real difficulties getting to work (I usually carpool in the mornings, so it doesn't affect me as much then). What happens to me is that there are slews of high school students who seem to go downtown to hang out, then head to the Northgate mall, presumably to hang out there, too. As soon as the amount of time between 41s goes past 8 minutes, the buses are too crowded. It makes the commute really unpleasant. When you add in the overcrowding, the longer route, the traffic jams on 3rd Avenue, and the lateness, I don't feel as if I'm being rewarded for being a commuter in the least.

[flamingyouth]

7. Unbelievable, eh?

I no longer commute, but it seems to me that this city is making it harder and harder for the average working person just to get to and from work. I do have to go downtown for doctor's appointments, though, and I know what you mean about the traffic jams on 3rd Ave. (it'll be nice when the tunnel is done - AGAIN).

[LisaM]

8. It's like a circle of hell. Those new buses don't help either

The hybrid ones. I applaud the thought. But the buses themselves are awful. I am 5'4". Everyone I know my height or shorter has problems with the seats - they are not low enough, so it's impossible to hold anything on our laps, as our legs slope downwards. The seats are narrower to accomodate wider aisles, and some of the side seats are so tiny two people can't fit. The seats are also very slippery, and many do not have anything to restrain you, so people are pitched out of them if the bus makes a fast turn! The rails are also too high for a shorter person to hold onto comfortably. And, these buses hold fewer people than the old ones did. The articulated part is not as well designed as on the old buses either - on those, when the bus turned, you didn't notice it. On the new ones, they practically throw you over.

I am not sure what to do about all this. I not only believe in riding the bus, I HAVE to ride it home usually. I figured that last year alone, the extra time getting home (one way) has cost me up to 50 hours of extra time. That's significant.

I voted No and No on the tunnel/viaduct. I want more transit.

[maxsolomon]

9. gas taxes only pay for road projects

its in the state constitution!

ain't it a grand regressive state? http://www.itepnet.org/wp2000/wa%20pr.pdf

[flamingyouth]

10. But our sales tax just went up to pay for more bus service.

So yeah, it is great living in a regressive state. x(
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/6420AP_WA_KingCo_Tax.html

[maxsolomon]

13. i do remember voting hell no on that one

its already among the highest in the nation

[Pierzin]

21. Thanks for that link, maxsolomon! that's real gem!

i always knew it to be regressive, but did not know WA was dead last.

[philosophie_en_rose]

11. I ride the 71 almost everyday.

Depending on where I go after work, I catch the 71 to the park and ride on the outskirts of Ravenna, so I don't have to park in the city and can stop at Whole Foods if needed. On the way home, I actually walk a few blocks down Third just to find a place to squeeze into the bus. If I didn't, the bus could be full by the stop closest to me.

The 71 is full of students and people getting off of work, and the drivers are friendly. However, it is just too full and uncomfortable. And I can't even sit on the raised sideways seats, because my feet dangle and I slip off.

In the grand scheme of things, maybe I'm being petty. However, I wish that some intelligent person would rework the routes. If we can spend so much money on signs to tell us where we're spending money, maybe we can afford another bus on the 71 route. :shrug:

[LisaM]

12. I'm glad I'm not the only person who falls off the seats

I thought I was nuts, till I started asking around. I used to get a lot of reading done on the bus. Now, if I can get a seat at all, I'm often just hanging on!

[LisaM]

14. Another day - another hour lost to Metro.....

I waited 23 minutes this morning - I left early on purpose, to catch a particular bus. It never came. The next one was late, and packed. The driver said that the previous driver was subsituting on the route. I'm not sure why that matters.......I called Metro again. It took me 55 minutes. It's a 12 minute trip.

Last night, I caught a bus that was 20 minutes late and so full it had to drive past the last stop without picking anyone up. I saw their angry faces as we passed them. I hope they all call Metro too.

[flamingyouth]

15. This is ridiculous!

There is something seriously messed up going on. I'm sorry about your commute woes. That SUCKS.

On the other side of absurd, why do I often see two or three near-empty articulated number 7 buses in a row on Rainier between McClellan and Alaska in the middle of the day? Sometimes there are two at one stop and one will block the intersection behind it, which is lovely.

And why exactly does a substitute driver matter? Did she or he get lost on the way or something?

[LisaM]

16. I've actually heard an explanation for the empty buses

which is that they serve heavy routes and operate as shuttles - so they're going back to pick up other large groups of people. Although another reason there are empty buses is that the previous ones are so late they pick up riders for two or three routes. The last time I rode the 7, I sat next to a large woman in a kilt, with blue hair, carrying a huge wooden sword. She got off at the same stop I did, which made my heart stop for a minute!

I think the substitute didn't know to wait and leave the timed stop at the correct time - so was running ahead of the route.

It's getting so I'm seriously considering buying a second car to drive to work. I don't like driving, and I don't like downtown parking rates, but I also am really getting sick of the commute. I can AFFORD to drive to work if I have to. I CHOOSE to be a commuter - and if a committed commuter like I am is getting tired of it, think what the marginal types are doing......

[flamingyouth]

17. I wonder what Metro's response would be if you wrote them

And you listed the time lost due to their poor service? Would they just give you the brush-off? You can't be the only person going through this, especially since the P-I wrote about it last month too. I'd just be curious to see what they'd say in writing versus a phone call. I would definitely tell them that you're considering giving up riding the bus altogether and getting a car. Anyway, good luck!

[LisaM]

18. Thanks - and thanks for putting up with my rant

I know I'm not the only one. I will write them. Do you suggest email, or regular mail?

[flamingyouth]

19. I don't know

Sometimes maybe an old-school snail mail letter might do the trick. But who knows - maybe you'll hear back sooner if you email. Either way, good luck, and no prob - this is a very important topic, IMO! :hi:

[LisaM]

20. Maybe I'll even throw in the suggestion

that they offer good transportation between Northgate and the Seattle Center!

[Wash. state Desk Jet]

22. I once worked as a checker for the city -Bus

Yesterday evening I rode a bus down 15th.avenue west. I somehow managed to lock my keys in the truck if front of a store.I jumped on a bus on fifteenth ave. off of Leary way heading north and grabbed a seat just to the right of the bus driver as I would have as a bus checker city employed.

I asked the driver a series of questions in rapid secession as I would have-and the bus driver must have found the questions intresting ,because as the bus was moving he was answering my questions.

The questions were about the lack of bus,s -broken bus,s -dispatching -and those in management that chart the course,s.Traffic conditions, road repair threw-out King county -experienced drivers in verious routes -customer satisfaction-complaints-school kids- morning and evening commutes-regulars to and from work-car parking at designated areas -in so far as how that goes.

Now what it all came down to is what I already thought.
Those people that use the bus,s on a daily basis as a rule know their bus driver.
Like you do your doctor in some ways, the pharmacist,a parking lot attendant -if you park there a lot and really care about that car-, or most anybody at work -where what it is all about is all and important.

If than you know your bus driver- than you also know something about whats going on all over the route.,-or the city or county for that matter.
Because if the only thing on your mind is where you want to be-and how little time you have to spare for anything other than what you want or intrest,s you -than you are not in the know.

Those people that know their bus drivers, are always in the know-and know how to ask.

Some people that work downtown Seattle and live out Kirkland -Bellevue way, use the park and rides.And some of those people that know their bus drivers, leave at a very particular time in the morning and in the evening-and in the evening -even if that means staying a little later than is necessary-because these people know-they will catch just the right bus at just the perfect time.

And so-it,s all about timing.And becomming a master of timing.

It starts by knowing your bus driver-otherwise-your just another one of them!

Did you ever notice some people on the bus just keep smiling when the complainers complain!
Those people that are smiling are the ones that are in the know!

Sincere reguards to your complaints,
most of which are not valid in my opinion!

[LisaM]

23. I ride the bus every day, and not only is there no consistency

There simply are not enough 41s that run after 6:00 p.m. If there is one event downtown (such as the Rolling Stones concert last year), it can delay the bus for up to an hour. In one instance, I tried to catch the same bus two mornings in a row and it came 8 minutes earlier the second day. And a couple of weeks ao, a bus was 20 minutes late for the time I was trying to catch it and the bus driver said they were three buses behind - she apologized to everyone for the lateness, said they were running three buses behind, and didn't charge anyone to get off at the Park and Ride. I'm not making this up. I've ridden the bus into downtown Seattle for more than ten years, and it's been worse since they closed the tunnel since it has been since I've started riding it. Twice last week alone, my 41 had to drive past the last stop downtown without picking anybody up (the driver just says, "let me know if you want to get off here" and if no one pull the cord, he drives past the stop).

[Wash. state Desk Jet]

24. Would seem to be a locational judgement call

It is not at all uncommon for a city bus anywhere in the country to run twenty minutes late.
Morning and evening rush hour commutes are priority in line with reduction of traffic nation wide.
After the evening rush hour the routine evening bus schedule kicks in 6:00 PM or 6:45 pm there there about depending on the rating of the bus route.

Road construction-repair and traffic congestion -more cars -will be the vering factor on each and every bus route.

With a influx of 1oo,ooo people in a year comming into the state over the last ten years-how many cars is that to the additional factor?
And is that not in of itself the greater problem? King county and state wide for that matter.I mean the roads just cannot accommodate all the cars-or traffic-and accidents.

It,s rather like a mole hole- the mole has verious exits or entrances.
The kids that use the bus,s to get around -to get downtown -for the verious events-know all the different routes in getting where it is they want to be . There is always more than one!

Downtown Seattle has to the the most difficult to navigate for a driver-and even more difficult to manage .

Bellevue has the bus place-where all bus,s pass threw.
But that,s Bellevue!

Downtown Seattle-it,s this way-where there is a will-there is a way!