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(46 posts)

Car Drivers: Are you considering riding the bus?

Started 7 months ago by ws4ever
Latest reply from metrognome

ws4ever
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It's not so bad. Busdriver this AM said #'s of buses to WS increase tomorrow.

Posted 7 months ago #
mpento
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Yes I have considered it and the answer is no

Posted 7 months ago #
ws4ever
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And it would have meant so much to me.

Posted 7 months ago #
dhg
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If the bus were rail then yes, I'd take it in a heart beat. What's the advantage of sitting in traffic on a bus? One big disadvantage: I can't say screw it, I'll go a different route or I'll turn around. That's the problem with metro: they're using the same roads. When the weather ices up, what's the alternate transport? A bus slides around worse than a rear wheel drive car. When traffic is backed up, buses sit in traffic.

Posted 7 months ago #
Smitty
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No.

But I sure hope a bunch of other people do!

Posted 7 months ago #
Huindekmi
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I considered it, but...

I work on the east side. And unfortunately, the only traffic mitigations the city has put into place assume that every commuter is traveling into downtown Seattle and only into downtown Seattle.

So... the bus... I'd have to take a bus into downtown Seattle, transfer, take a bus into downtown Bellevue, transfer, and take a bus that would drop me off just over a mile from my office. All that, assuming I made every connection, would take over 1.5 hours, not including the walk to/from the office.

Best case in my car is 35 minutes door to door. Worst case in the car is better than the best case in the bus.

Posted 7 months ago #
Klause
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WoW! Disheartening to know that there are so many bus snobs in the West Seattle area. I commute downtown by bus and drive my car in when really needed. I'd rather sit in traffic on a bus than in my own car. At least I'm not wasting my own gas or having the added stress by driving. I also know several people that commute by bus to Bellevue and don't find it so difficult, yea, a few transfers and what not but it's still a viable option. There are even people that commute by bus and train from further out like Orting, Puyallup,Olympia and Everett. Apparently no bus snobs in those areas. Seems that people that tend to live close to their work are the ones less likely to use public transportation. Go figure.

Posted 7 months ago #
Huindekmi
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Guess that makes me a "bus snob" for wanting to spend the extra 2 hours each day with my kids rather than sitting on a bus. Go figure.

Posted 7 months ago #
Smitty
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Bus snobs rule.

Posted 7 months ago #
skeeter
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My wife and I are not able to take the bus due to our work location. But we do carpool. And we are very thankful to folks who spend the extra time to take the bus. It helps everyone out.

Posted 7 months ago #
Bostonman
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I agree with dhg. If the bus didn't sit in the same traffic I would take it more. In Boston I commuted into the city everyday by subway. No issues.

Call me a snob if you want but I also would rather spend the extra 90 minutes a day with my family.

Posted 7 months ago #
Hormel
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Leaving the car at home and riding my bike into downtown. If I was not doing that I drive instead of taking the bus. Hate to say it but I would rather sit in my car than stand for so long on the bus. Not a bus snob but that is really hard on my back.

Posted 7 months ago #
Klause
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No, Bus Snobs don't Rule...Kids Rule...You're right, Family first and a good reminder for that. Simply overlooked that aspect of the commute. But, for those that don't have family, what's your excuse for not taking the bus or carpooling...other than no service to your location.

Posted 7 months ago #
Semele
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Wait, so if we don't have kids we have no excuse to not ride the bus? Give me a break. I work on the EastSide and the hour and half it would take me to ride the bus (on a good day) when it takes me 35min to drive is not a reasonable commute option. Besides, even though I don't have children I do have a life. I have a dog that needs to be taken out and a place I have to be in WS at 5:30 weeknights.

If there was a good rail system here I would take it in a heartbeat. When I lived in Chicago I rarely drove my car. To call someone a bus snob because they don't want to spend an extra couple of hours a day commuting is just ridiculous.

Posted 7 months ago #
JimmyG
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I may not have kids, but I still have family Klause. Your precious little snowflakes aren't more important than my family.

I will not be taking the bus. I'm adjusting my route and starting time and will proudly wear my bus snob identity on my sleeve.

If someone wants to print up a "Bus Snob" bumper sticker I'll gladly put one on my SUV.

Posted 7 months ago #
Klause
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Whoa...wait a sec Semele...I see that you'd rather ride your bike to the eastside (http://westseattleblog.com/forum/topic/friday-is-bike-to-work-day), which seems to me would take much longer in commute time and is way more dangerous than taking the bus..? Not sure your response holds much weight in having to be home for your dog or someplace by 5:30. But I do understand having to be home at a descent time for animals or other issues. Just don't quite understand why you would slam me on the bus issue when you so openly commented on wanting to ride your bike to work more often. Isnt't that some form of alternate commute? Planes, trains, bikes, carpools...whatever your commute, is what I was getting at.

Posted 7 months ago #
Klause
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Slow down JimmyG, didn't you read my comment?? I did say FAMILY first, so don't slam someone for having kids and besides, mine are old enough to take care of themselves. So my precious "little" snowflakes, as you put it, are more important to me than your family is.

Posted 7 months ago #
Semele
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You have got be kidding me. "Not sure your response holds much weight in having to be home for your dog or someplace by 5:30"

Me having a standing 5:30 appt daily doesn't stand as a good excuse? Who are you to decide what is acceptable in someone else's life?

And for your information it only takes me an hour to ride my bike to work (less time than the bus). And I do that in the summer, when the weather is good and only once a week due to my schedule. Also, when I am training for riding STP etc.

I am not slamming you on the bus issue, I just take offense to your attitude that people are bus snobs for not wanting to spend 2+ extra hours commuting. And the fact that only people with families have a right to not want to spend that extra time commuting. You don't have the right to tell people what should be important in their life.

You want to spend more time commuting, great! I for one have more important things in my life to do than spend 3hours a day on a bus.

Posted 7 months ago #
DBP
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When I think of the term "bus snob" I don't think of someone who declines to take the bus for reasons of mere timeliness. Rather, I think of someone who refuses to take the bus simply because they don't want to have to sit there with people they don't know. I think of someone who just paid a lot of bank for a Beemer or cush SUV and wouldn't dream of being seen at a public bus stop with all the riff-raff.

(You people know who you are.)

Bus snobs are fine by me.
Let them have their cush SUVs and their privacy.

BUT let them also subsidize mass transit by:

► Paying higher gas taxes
► Paying parking taxes
► Paying highway tolls
► Paying license tab fees

For that matter, let EVERYONE who drives a single-occupancy vehicle pay MORE money to subsidize mass transit — whether they have a good excuse for driving or not.

—David Preston

(occasional driver)
(occasional biker)
(occasional walker)
(occasional bus rider)

Posted 7 months ago #
amalia
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Wow. Takes me a total of ~1.5 hours each way (I don't work downtown) to bike or bike/bus, and I don't have to go to the gym afterwards, so for an athletic person, it saves time (and $!). I'll probably skip the bus next week.
.
If you work downtown, you have the right to drive by yourself and pay for gas and parking (for whatever reason you'd ever want to do that), but don't complain about traffic. You ARE the traffic.

Posted 7 months ago #
Semele
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If I worked downtown I would ride my bike everyday that I could. It's what my husband does and it's actually faster than taking the bus!

Thank goodness I get to work from home for two of the days next week!

Posted 7 months ago #
Klause
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DBP...Well put. Exactly what I was "trying" to say, but guess didn't put it into the proper words.

Posted 7 months ago #
DBP
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Oh, and by the by . . . don't think that "I work in Bellevue" gets you off the hook either, folks.

Just how did you come to work in Bellevue but live in West Seattle anyway?

Did someone hold a gun to your head and force you to take the job there or buy the house here? Nope. That one was all yours.

OK, so maybe you made your decision when gas was $2.00 a gallon and the commute to Bellevue was 30 minutes. Maybe you assumed that things would be that way forever and that oil and land were renewable resources.

Now the party's over, isn't it? But don't you worry. This is America: Home of the Free.

Wanna live far away from where you work? Fine. You're free to choose that. As long as you're also willing to pay the TRUE COST of your choice.

Yes, America, it's time to start paying the TRUE COST of all the gas you burn and all the roads you require to be built for your convenience. How does $10 a gallon sound? $20? $50?

Going once . . .
Going twice . . .

Sold! [gavel knocks] One gallon of premium to the man in the cowboy hat!

The rest of us will take just a portion of that $50 and build a better, simpler way to live. Starting with good mass transit.

But the choice will still be yours, cowboys and girls. You can have your big cars and your long highways. As long as you're willing to pay for 'em.

Cash on the barrelhead!

Posted 7 months ago #
Jiggers
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DBP..Chuckle..chuckle..I thought snobs only existed over in Bellevue.. Maybe I'm wrong.

Posted 7 months ago #
Huindekmi
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I'll take your challenge, DBP.

When we bought our home, both my wife and I worked downtown. I used to bike commute. But that company doesn't exist anymore. It merged with a competitor and moved out to the boonies up north in Bothell. I didn't think it would be that stable, and sure enough, it wasn't.

When the downsizing occurred a couple years ago, I tried to find a job in downtown again. Not many available, so I ended up taking another job on the eastside.

I guess your suggestion would be to sell your house and by a different one whenever you get a new job. I'd be on my third home, losing money each time. Great idea given the economic uncertainty these days.

Posted 7 months ago #
metrognome
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when I think of the term 'bus knob', I think of that thing on the dashboard driver's used to pull to get the headlights to turn on. Now that everything's electronic, no more knobs.

funny thing about trains/subways/etc...they don't usually go from your front door to your employer's front door. So, you have to drive/bike/bus/walk to the train station, get on the train, and then bike/bus/walk to your work site.

For you newbies, a rail system was proposed as part of the Forward Thrust initiative of the late 60's and early 70's. It was the only initiative with organized opposition, led in part by AAA and Kemper Freeman Sr. Name sound familiar? Yup, he's the wealthy anti-public transportation developer on the Eastside who is the father of Kemper, Jr. who is bankrolling Eyman's tolling initiative which in part would prohibit using I-90 for light rail. If you ever go to Atlanta, ride MARTA at least once, because that is where the federal money for Seattle's rail system ended up.

Metro must be doing something right ... Puget Sound ranks 10th in the nation for percentage of workers who commute by transit, well over 100,000,000 boardings a year, largest publicly owned vanpool system in the country with 600+ vans, pioneered part-time drivers, articulated buses, system of Park&Rides and HOV lanes.

Posted 7 months ago #
kootchman
Member Profile

The bus sucks. Sure DBP... anyone else with more assets but "me"... stick it to em' eh? Why don't YOU pay the full cost of mass transit? Do yo have any idea how much your fares would go up if all the bus snobs decided to ride? We already subsidize public transit which can't support itself... the more who ride, the more the system loses and has to go to the gas and tab trough for more money. Although... maybe a better class of bus service... better seats, after work cocktails,morning lattes, blacked out windows, blue tooth Sirrus radio with private headphones..and a "door sniffer" for the unwashed..., and reserved bus stops for premium service customers, complimentary WSJ or Journal of Commerce....with heated shelters and rest rooms... that might work. And most of all,, driver selected for their social skill set,... civil, polite, helpful, etc..

Posted 7 months ago #
kootchman
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Hey metro... I lived in Marietta... MARTA... infamous for it's crime rate... and it is a money loser. BIG time. Although I did see when the Georgia legislation approved carrying of concealed weapons on MARTA, overriding the city ordnance, the assault,murder,and rape crimes fell. Urban mas transit... ya gotta love it.

Posted 7 months ago #
SarahScoot
Member Profile

Round of applause for DBP! In my job search, I am actually not considering jobs that I cannot commute to by bus. This means that all those appealing eastside jobs in the field I'm trying to break into (professional writing/editing) are out of the running for me.
Some of the previous commenters sound incredibly selfish in basically saying that they know they should bus, but they don't want to. Ditto Amalia--you are the problem.
Tangential rant: My company pays for either a transit pass or garage parking for employees. Yep, either a bus pass that costs about $90 monthly, or a parking pass that costs nearly $300, are paid in full by my employer. There's no incentive for people to take the bus over driving, and it pisses me off. I have coworkers who drive in to our downtown office from Ballard, Magnolia, and the Central District. All of them live within short walking distance of a bus that would take them within three blocks of our office. All are 35 or younger. None have children. All have said they just "don't want to" take the bus. One even referred to the bus as the "loser cruiser."
RIDICULOUS.

Posted 7 months ago #
EmmyJane
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I find it funny that people are not taking the bus because it takes too long to commute on. Do you know why it takes too long to commute on? Because of all the cars on the road that mess up traffic! Seriously people that commute in your cars, I know it could be slightly more inconvenient but don't screw over the rest of us by clogging the roads next week (or after... notice how commuting times have increased? People that ride the bus can't change anything else to help that - people driving alone in cars have to.)

Posted 7 months ago #
amalia
Member Profile

Uh, I agree with you, SarahScoot, aside from the assertion that I'm the problem. I don't add a car to the road, and I won't be another body on the bus next week. I don't hold up traffic either, with the highly occasional exception of a few seconds (quickly recovered by the driver).
.
I'm a regular bus rider and absolutely agree that the lack of incentive is a real problem. As is the nearly intolerable amount of time I spend on and between buses to work. I don't feel that I have the right to complain about it too much, though, because I do work far from home (didn't when I bought the house, and my job is too good to leave). Also not happy that cyclists have to pay $2.50 minimum to go one stop across 520 when there's no alternate route.
.
Just curious about how I'm the problem.

Posted 7 months ago #
SarahScoot
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Sorry Amalia, I wasn't saying *you* are the problem, I was reasserting your statement that "you," meaning the people who insist on driving to work, are the problem. I was wholeheartedly endorsing what you said, and I apologize that my statement wasn't clearer. :-)

Posted 7 months ago #
amalia
Member Profile

Ha! I totally see how it reads both ways now! Funny. I couldn't figure out was I was doing wrong :). Sorry!

Posted 7 months ago #
amalia
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[oops]

Posted 7 months ago #
ws4ever
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Thought I would hate the bus. The negatives are true: waiting in the rain, train delay, smoke-reeking riders, drug dealers luring recoverees (ride the 358 if you want to overhear back of the bus comparisons of methadone dosages). Positives: book suggestions from decent people, time to read, time to plan work tasks, observing parents with kids, closing my eyes during toughest traffic snarls. Works for a single person who likes to see a slice of life.

Posted 7 months ago #
elikapeka
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I don't ride the bus - it doesn't work for me at all. I go to different places every day, anywhere between Bellingham and south of Olympia. I sometimes have more than one place to be. My schedule can change at the last minute when I'm alreay on the road. I carry about 40 pounds of equipment with me on each job. So taking the bus isn't an option for all of the reasons outlined above.

So yes, you'll see me in my single occupancy vehicle, but please remember that some of us really don't have another choice. We're not just being snobs about it.

Posted 7 months ago #
MaryCooks
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I actually used the Trip Planner to see how long it would take me to get from my house in Delridge to my job in Kirkland. I'd have to leave just after 6 to get there by 8 and that's not even considering that I'd have to figure out how to get my daughter to before-school care which doesn't open until 7! Mass transit here sucks unless you're just going to downtown Seattle. If I worked downtown I'd definitely ride the bus but since I don't, guess I'll have lots of company on my route to work.

Posted 7 months ago #
kootchman
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Wow... 100,000,000 million boardings! The math should be simple then.. take the operating budget of Metro... and charge the fees neccesary to sustain this great social good. Without having the non-users subsidize it. Pay as ya go! The must be doing something wrong if they have 100,000,000 passengers and can't meet even their operating costs. Sounds like a bad case of management to me.

Posted 7 months ago #
clark5080
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not me I am not riding the bus at 1:00am and taking two hours to get home

Posted 7 months ago #
datamuse
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When I worked downtown, I did commute by bus. When I went to grad school at the UW, I still commuted by bus. Now I work in south Tacoma and the bus would take two hours each way.

Sure, I could move. Except my husband works in Bothell.

And, uh, EmmyJane? In my case, it's not the traffic--most of it's going the other way. It's that my university is in south Tacoma. If it were my university's crosstown rival that would chop 30 minutes off my bus ride right there.

Posted 7 months ago #
EmmyJane
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Datamuse - sorry for the broad statement, I realize not everyone fits that mold. I'm just *really* hoping lots of people take the bus next week.

Posted 7 months ago #
shed22
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I usually drive to work (downtown). I pay for the privilege: gas, parking, taxes, fees, etc. Fortunately, I have the luxury to work from home during the morning commute (6:30-10am), waiting to drive or bus into work after the morning gridlock eases. I plan on staying later into the evening to avoid the 4-7pm commute. It will make for a 12+ hour work day, but I am grateful my job allows for the flexibility.

Posted 7 months ago #
nighthawk
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>> Also not happy that cyclists have to pay $2.50 minimum to go one stop across 520 when there's no alternate route.>>

One thing that would be great is if they had short tickets here. I have lived places where they had short rides and full fare. Basically if you were going 4 stops or less you paid about 1/2 fare. If you were more than that it was full fare. It was great if you were doing something like grocery shopping and shlepping stuff home but didn't have to go a great distance.

Posted 7 months ago #
redblack
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related to nighthawk's post, maybe metrognome can help answer this one:

so i hear rumors that the ride-free area downtown is going away. if/when that happens, does that mean there will be no more "pay as you enter/pay as you leave" outbound/inbound confusion?

i have accidentally paid as i entered when i wasn't supposed to, and was accosted by the driver when i got off the bus. the bus was crowded, the driver was obviously paying attention to more important matters, and i didn't think to ask for a transfer - wrongly, i know, but it would have alerted me to my mistake as i entered. nothing i could do about it without getting into an argument, except pay again to avoid the embarrassment of being accused of being a vagrant on a crowded bus. i'm sure i'm not the only one to have done this.

yeah, i know. small potatoes in a city rife with fare-jumpers.

but eliminating ride-free could streamline the fare payment process and ensure better compliance, no?

Posted 7 months ago #
rockergirl5678
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Hope all this hype turns out to be just talk......like in the past. Sure wish we could use the "BUS" lane for carpools during the shutdown, wish there had been some better coordination between agencies and that the projects under construction had been completed before this shutdown took place. That being said I carpool to Bellevue area - have for several years and find it a great alternative to taking the bus or driving alone. We are planning to leave a bit earlier than usual and not worry too much as we will eventually get to work. If anyone works in Northeast Bellevue and wants to explore joining our carpool we would love to hear from you - email me at rockergirl5678@yahoo.com. We take turns driving and it saves us money as well as let's us relax somewhat when were not driving. Good luck, breathe, be patient and remember were all in the same boat for the time being.

Posted 7 months ago #
metrognome
Member Profile

yes, the Ride Free Area is going away. It was one of the concessions offered to conservative County councilmembers to get enought Council votes for the $20 license tab fee so it wouldn't have to be put to a popular vote. Theoretically, it will save money and speed boarding, but that remains to be seen.

I don't remember when the RFA closure goes into effect. Whether Metro keeps the inbound/outbound fare payment rules or goes to 'pay as you get on' hasn't been publicly announced that I am aware of.

The pay as you enter/as you leave confusion only applies to buses that thru-route through downtown, i.e. if you pay as you get on a Rt 54 and don't get off until it is a pay as you leave Rt 5, there may be some confusion if the driver doesn't remember you and you forgot to get a transfer. That is why there are payment cards facing the incoming passenger on all fareboxes. One solution is to get an ORCA card and use it as a 'purse' to pay cash; the card will track that you have a 'transfer' and won't charge you when you scan your card when leaving the Rt 5 (for example) as long as it is within the 2 hr transfer period.

BTW, the original purpose of the RFA was to speed boarding in the Central Business District, esp. in the p.m. peak when there were so many riders waiting at each bus stop. This was back in the days when Metro's route design was more 'hub and spoke' with many more routes coming into downtown so riders could transfer. The thinking was that a few people paying as they left at their home stop slowed the bus less than 30 people paying as they boarded, as people could now board thru 2 (or 3) doors. This also helped free up limited curb space more quickly for incoming buses. Now, with the transit center and park&ride programs pretty much complete, there are a lot more hubs and fewer routes coming into downtown. Sound Transit's Link also replaced several Metro routes into downtown.

Also, those were the days of cash fare payment and no 'registering' fareboxes, so paying fares took a lot longer. Now, with smart fareboxes that count cash and smarter cards, the fare payment process is much simpler.

Posted 7 months ago #