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With gasoline at record levels, my bus into the city from South Seattle has come to resemble a Tokyo train or New York City subway. Statistics clearly indicate the on-time performance has fallen in the last year, so I put on my "reporter's cap" and started chatting with bus drivers about the challenges. My conversations have been cordial and enlightening.
I simply ride the buses; the drivers do that for hours on end and deal with the crush of new riders. So my hat is tipped to the vast majority of Seattle Metro drivers who handle this added pressure with positivity and a smile. But, there are some who are snarling and that certainly doesn't help the situation. But perhaps, they're just snarly by nature.
The drivers tell me the biggest slowdown of late is due to inexperienced riders who don't know the correct fare and fumble to find it. With an on-time record that is already arguably poor, this simple problem creates enormous delays.
The other issue: Not enough routes. As an example, I live in South Park-- a stone's throw from White Center, where I do most of my shopping. But try finding a bus on the weekend between the two communities. No dice! You'll need a car, a helicopter or a good pair of running shoes. And this is just one tiny example of the paucity of routes. Unacceptable.
Next, the buses themselves. If you ride the 131 route from downtown to Burien and back-- you know. Those "little short jobs" aren't cutting it. Metro needs a steady flow of large articulated buses on that route. And again, this is only one example.
Recently, the former Washington State Secretary of Transportation published a three-part article on transit woes in the on line journal crosscut.com. And the article is based on some pretty darn good information, not just because of his transportation background, but he is legally blind and cannot drive. He must ride the bus to get from point A to point B.
So, in closing-- I point to those beautifully written crosscut pieces and say, "YEAH! WHAT HE SAID!"
