I'm not a newbie at the understanding of mass transit. I keep up with the latest trends and have been a transportation junkie for a long time. I have also lived in Europe for a brief stint and have seen first hand what a working bus transit system looks like. I think Salzburg, Austria has one of the finest that is alos similar to Richmond in size, scope and proximity to other major cities. I travel often to other cities and try to use there system whenever possible. Richmond has a history of mass transit going back to the trolleys that once roamed Broad St. and the carriages that gave shortpump it's name. I think we can be better, A WHOLE lot better than our current state of affairs with GRTC.
I currently do NOT take mass transit in Richmond, even though I live
A: on a bus line (The buss literally stops outside my house). and
B: there is a major bus stop in front of my work.
So why don't I take the bus?
Why do we need to take buses?
Why does our system stink?
How can we fix it?
So why don't I take the bus?
I don't take the bus because I live 10 minutes from my home and Richmond has very little traffic... for now.
It costs more than driving... However, I take the toll road everyday, not that I have to, i just do to make it even quicker. That being said, I'd love to take the bus if it were comparable in cost to the toll road plus gas.
It's a pain to figure out where to go, transfer, etc.. I have no idea, when the next bus will arrive, or where it is really going, last time I check via phone and Internet I had to make at least 2 transfers to get to my office.. unacceptable as a replacement to my car.
Many other people have reasons, like cleanliness and privacy... but I think there are bigger issues with easy and cheap fixes that would improve ridership.
Why does our system stink?
It stinks because the focus of GRTC has been lost in the service to the underprivileged, the eco-friendly, and people without licences.
GRTC doesn't care about making the system simple. The system USED to be simple. but as it grew and less people rode, it got complex. So much so that a stranger off the street can't just walk up to a bus stop , check the time, wait, get on, and go.
GRTC doesn't really go where you want it to, it needs to act more like a subway system in a GOOD city. A good subway system, works outside of the traffic system, it is focused on 2 things commuting in AND getting around the Multi-Centers of a city, and it need to be easy to understand once your IN the system, not a hour before I enter the subway itself.
How can we fix it?
As mayor I'd ask for the following changes to the system.
IN THE SHORT TERM:
First: add a timetable, map, and line color to every single bus stop pole.This exactly how every subway in America works. You walk up, look at the map, check to see when the next train will be there and wait. (They don't have to be as big as the image to the right)
Second: free transfers, I should know that the price I'm paying will get me where I'm going
Third: daily, weekend, week, month, and yearly passes, should be available to purchase ahead of time, at convenience stores like the lottery and on the bus. Make this a cheap simple timestamp water proof card similar to how bush gardens now uses seasons passes. It is asinine that I can blow through the toll road wirelessly with a month to month pass and yet I can't do the same on the bus.
Fourth: Paint the roads and buses... paint a line on the road showing the path and color of the bus line. That way when I'm home, and I see blue, and I'm at work and see blue, I know that the buss will get me where I want to go. Also, buses should say or be repainted the color of
the line they provide.Fifth: Change the GRTC logo color. It's needs to be happier, purple feels grittier, dirtier, darker. They should feel warm and welcoming,
IN THE LONG TERM:
Sixth: more express lots in a overall regional sense. Buses need to think of themselves as part of the larger mass transit and park system. Buses should go to airports large and small, and railroad stops, including express routes to the outlying VRE, parks.
Seventh: dedicated part-time bus lanes, in strategic areas.
Eight: Switch to hybrid or other types of propulsion, buses should be quieter so that they make less of an impact in our neighborhoods.
Nine: Trolley buses.. installed electric wired buses with long strategic routes, and double length. This town was BUILT around trolleys.. the system can be adapted to work in this way again. They have the advantage of being quite, easily recognizable, and findable due to the wires, cheaper to run, more seats to sit on, lower to the ground usually to allow for wheel chair and stroller access.
Ten: bus taxi's: At night why run all the buses all the time, at a certain time of night, and from area where there is a nightlife, require licensed taxi services to act as "bus taxis" the concept is to allow people going in similar directions to be dropped of along the BUS route and bus stops only, for a reduced and shared rate on the taxi. This service runs until an hour Before the bars close down. To encourage safety in getting home and to allow the taxis to get there full fares when the bars close down as they would on any other night.
Eleven: Ensure that buses circle thriving shopping, and business areas. they should serve these tiny city centers, and connect them.
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