Metro changes, weekday #3: Wednesday updates

Sarah M. October 3, 2012 (7:00 am)

6:55 C from Alaska & Fauntleroy. Already standing room only before we were in. However, everyone wanting on in West Seattle made it on the bus. We didn’t pass any stops.

Nichole October 3, 2012 (7:27 am)

The not full 50 did not pick up my child at 60th and admiral. He was trying to get to Madison and will now be late. Drivers need to remember thanks to sps no yellow bus service some of their passengers are small and to look for them st bus stops

Casey October 3, 2012 (7:29 am)

5:55 C from Alaska & Fauntleroy. Plenty of room this morning, no one had to stand, which is a massive shift from the last two days.

Chris W October 3, 2012 (7:30 am)

Just got on a 50 at Califirnia and Dakota. It was on time and is mostly empty. I do not see any lines of people waiting for RR to downtown. Looks good out here today so far.

Babs October 3, 2012 (7:36 am)

6:40am RR from Alaska junction had plenty of capacity, no one needing to stand. Downtown by 7:05am.

Christie October 3, 2012 (7:38 am)

7:10 bus from the Junction – skipped the last stop on Avalon, too full. Riders tried to let the driver know we had a few spaces to stand in the back but he may not have heard.

West Seattle since 1979 October 3, 2012 (7:43 am)

The 21 Local going downtown from 35th & Avalon at about 7:03 had plenty of seats instead of being standing room only like yesterday.

Jen October 3, 2012 (7:44 am)

The 120 from Delridge/Brandon at 6:55 northbound didn’t have any problems this morning. Picked up a minute early at my stop and fit everyone in along the route. Was back to a much more typical (pre-9/29) ride.

Jack Loblaw October 3, 2012 (7:48 am)

C Line from Alaska junction 2/3 full this morning. This was a pleasant surprise. Wonder if it was one of the “extra” buses ?

donofAdmiral October 3, 2012 (8:10 am)

Looks like the learning curve is improving. People are learning to drive again. Two days of pain. No more. Sigh. Maybe I will try the bus after two weeks. I would hope the WSB will survey the readership in a few weeks to see how it all settles out and maybe encourage people to ride again.

WSB October 3, 2012 (8:28 am)

DonOfAdmiral – yes, we intend to continue following this. Which is why we’ve tracked it for three days now, when most of the rest of the media scampered away after day 1. I also would hope that at some point in the not-too-distant future, there will be an update at oh say a meeting of the County Council’s Transportation Committee, and we’ll keep watch for that too.

joannbylincolnpark October 3, 2012 (8:19 am)

Caught the RR at Fauntleroy and Rose at 7:00 am as I have done since Monday. Today a few more seats were available when I got on (fewer riders). The bus made all of its stop and while there was a very full bus of people sitting and standing, the bus was able to pick up at every stop. We made it downtown by 7:35 am, only ten minutes longer than the 54X did regularly leaving my stop at 7:00 am. Not rapid compared to our former morning service, but things did run smoothly this morning.

Chris W October 3, 2012 (8:20 am)

@Nicole The 50 almost passed me too. I waved and he did not slow down, then I waved wildly while stepping toward the curb, and he stopped. I do not think the drivers are aware of all the stops yet ( tho this does not explain the 128 skipping the same two boys three days in a row last week)

Sue October 3, 2012 (8:20 am)

I did not take the C, but when I was crossing 3rd/Seneca at just around 8am, the C from West Seattle was just coming up Seneca to turn onto 3rd, and it was maybe 1/3 full; I was surprised to see that and wondered if it was one of the extra buses they added.

sna October 3, 2012 (8:25 am)

Everyone drove so the problem looks fixed. Traffic was much worse At 7 thiis morning.

Rich October 3, 2012 (8:32 am)

Drove today. Got a seat.

WSAH October 3, 2012 (8:35 am)

7:40am 116 from 45th & Wildwood empty all the way downtown. People boarding at Fauntleroy & Alaska, I saw at least 10 of you on the C stop. Give 116 a try. The stop is on the same intersection along Fauntleroy, you don’t even need to cross the street. My empty bus went past you at 7:50 and we were at 4th & Jackson at 8:10.

Magpie October 3, 2012 (8:40 am)

The traffic on the bridge was heavier earlier this morning. I left 10 minutes earlier with my new carpool and the bridge was pretty heavy when I went across at 7:15. Traffic did move pretty quickly though. I also think more people are driving because they are fed up and miss having a regularly scheduled bus.

Taking the bus back tonight and will see how that goes.

Sue October 3, 2012 (8:40 am)

sna, I wondered that too. At 7:45 on the bridge the traffic looked far worse than usual in the backup to 99.

TinySandwiches October 3, 2012 (8:41 am)

8:15 c line from junction only one third full. Loving having free wifi and a seat to use it in so I can catch up on WSB ;) if I can get to QA before 9 without transferring down town it wi have saved me 5 minutes than previous 54/55 with a transfer and a whopping 10 minutes from the 22 that didn’t require a transfer. Again, not really that more rapid but it beats paying for gas and parking. Thank you to all the metro drivers just doing their job an dealing with anger that should be directed at decision makers sitting comfortably in their corner office!

Sue October 3, 2012 (8:45 am)

Is the northbound C line stopping at 2nd/Seneca stop? And is it skipping the 3rd/Union stop that the 54/54X used to stop at? I’ve read some conflicting things about this, and I cannot get through to Metro on the phone to ask them.

Brent October 3, 2012 (9:00 am)

I’m really appreciating the dispassionate tone and lack of angry embellishment in the reports this morning. Keep them coming. Heck, I hope WestSeattleBlog sticks with following the bus commute in perpetuity.

Christie’s tidbit about the standing spaces available is quite useful. Drivers on other routes are used to asking everyone to move to the back. Often, people don’t. So good riders need to be assertive with other riders who don’t want to move to please move to the back. In my days riding the 522, we were always crushloaded, but we always managed to make more room.

Question on the 116: Has it always been mostly empty? How are Vashon riders really making their commute?

Joe October 3, 2012 (9:09 am)

If you have the capability on the blog, you should post an actual poll or survey on Friday morning to ask if:

Will the changes to Metro make you drive to work instead of use the bus more often YES/NO

I wouldn’t be surprised if it was really in favor of Yes.

WSB October 3, 2012 (9:21 am)

Joe – thanks for the idea – but polls/surveys are way too easily gamed. That’s why we just don’t do them on WSB; we prefer comment discussion – people take the time to share specifics, short or long (thanks to you and everyone for taking that time!) …

O October 3, 2012 (9:18 am)

57 from Admiral/California used to get me to work in the international district in about 25 minutes. Now my trip is about an hour door to door… 56 to 2nd and Seneca, into the bus tunnel and then back south.

why_cause October 3, 2012 (9:19 am)

The RR C stops at 2nd/Seneca and 3rd/Pike. It does not stop at 3rd/Union like the 54 did.

justme October 3, 2012 (9:20 am)

my son got on the RR in the junction at 8:07 and it was standing room only.

justme October 3, 2012 (9:22 am)

Sue, it does stop at 2nd and Seneca but not again until Pike/Pine

Sue October 3, 2012 (9:29 am)

Brent, the 116/118/119 have not ALL been empty headed into downtown. There are a few scheduled in a row within a half hour period, and I’ve been passing up the ones with no seats to wait for another one. The one I’ve been getting has been full with maybe 2 empty seats by the time we head to the bridge. Then there’s another 1 or 2 after us that I presume are more empty (Monday another was directly behind us and had maybe 5 people on it). (I get on around 7:30-7:35 at Dawson.) On the reverse trip, heading home, the bus has been lightly used (around 4:35 from 3rd/Seneca), but that was usually the norm for this bus.

Sue October 3, 2012 (9:33 am)

Thanks, justme & why_cause! Good to know in case I take it and pass up the 2nd/Seneca stop (which I often did on the 54X if it was rainy/icy/slick out) or I was having a bad day mobility-wise and couldn’t really deal with the hill – I’ll need to be prepared for a longer hike back.

Robert October 3, 2012 (9:37 am)

Can SDOT or Metro do anything about the “Scrape Zone” at eastbound Seneca on eastside of 2nd as the buses start heading up the hill? Some of the buses have to slow down to 1 mph to get through there.

Do the new Rapid Ride buses handle this better?

Charlie October 3, 2012 (9:42 am)

I gave up my RR seat today by working from home. Very relieved to have that option today!

D October 3, 2012 (9:45 am)

People giving up on the bus and driving instead is not an improvement.

Grundle October 3, 2012 (10:00 am)

I am amazed at the lack of coverage for “bus-pocalypse” 2012 on any other media outlets. No coverage in the Seattle Times or Seattlepi.com. Nothing on Publicola. I don’t watch local news, but I’ll bet there hasn’t been much coverage at all. Very glad for WSB!

WSB October 3, 2012 (10:29 am)

Grundle – Times did cover on Day 1. They have a dedicated transportation reporter, Mike Lindblom, who in fact lives in West Seattle. But they also are a regional news org, and like any regional news org (I have worked for two TV stations in the area – their market is technically TWENTY-TWO COUNTIES!), they have a lot of ground to cover. This is the value of having a 24/7 neighborhood-news organization. We’re by no means perfect and wish we could do so much more, but when something’s going on that affects a lot of people, from buses to Hum(s) and beyond, we’ll do our best to be here for you – TR

AEL October 3, 2012 (10:05 am)

The 120 (Delridge/Edmonds) buses at 7:28, 7:37, and 7:42 were all full. Ended up standing on the 7:42 because I didn’t have any more options to delay.
–
Again no one made room for the 8.5 month pregnant lady and I think this may be the end of my Metro experience until after the baby arrives. I feel as though the Metro changes directly impacted this decision as I have had no problems till this week. Sorry to add another car to the road, but standing for twenty minutes in traffic is not an options for me.

Kirsty October 3, 2012 (10:29 am)

Took the RR at 8:20 from Fauntleroy and Barton, it was packed by the time we got on the bridge, but at least we didn’t leave anyone behind. Got downtown at 9 AM.

Is it just me or is RR-C substantially slower than the 54E? RR loading doesn’t seem any faster than on regular busses.

jedifarfy October 3, 2012 (11:06 am)

My 120 was pretty slim leaving White Center, but filled quickly. I took one later than yesterday because I’m staying a little later at work, but it was roughly the same as yesterday.

AEL: If you see me on the bus, just tap on my book. My head is usually stuck in a textbook. I might be taking it a little earlier than you, but at least it’s a shot. Considering I’ve lost my seat in the past because I got up to let the person at the window get out, I’m not shocked AT ALL.

Mindy October 3, 2012 (11:10 am)

The commute to work (downtown) and home was a nightmare on Monday and Tuesday. Can’t afford to be late at work again and can’t afford to be late coming home to pick up my kids from school. Driving to work for the next two weeks until things are better (I hope).

Sue October 3, 2012 (11:14 am)

I’ve been hearing a lot about pregnant women/disabled persons not being given seats on the bus, and drivers not willing to ask someone to give them up. Are these same people actually asking someone to give up a seat for them and getting refused? Or just silently waiting and hoping someone will notice? Yes, people should just offer then, but if not, people with special needs really have to make those needs known. (And I’m speaking as a person with mobility problems and who occasionally walks with a cane – I’ve had to ask for seats before when needed because it’s rare that anyone actually offered, even if I was precariously wobbling on a cane.)

Rob October 3, 2012 (11:16 am)

Absolutely typical Seattle incompetence. I’ve traveled by bus in cities of all sizes all over the world and I’ve never seen one that had a harder time getting their **** together. Such a joke. Standing room only, every bus, each way, for 3 days, and definitely no faster than the old buses.

chas redmond October 3, 2012 (11:18 am)

Sustainable West Seattle will host a transportation forum on all these matters (bus, RapidRide, roads, the bridges, the viaducts) at 7:00 pm on Monday, October 15, in the Senior Center at Alaska Junction. We’ll have Peter Hahn, Director of SDOT, Chris Arkills, transportation advisor to Dow Constantine, Doug Johnson, Metro route planner, Tom Rasmussen, City Council chair of their Transportation Committee, and Martin Duke, editor of the Seattle Transit Blog. Forum starts at 7 pm and everyone with questions or issues or comments should come and give our officials a rousing discussion.

Train October 3, 2012 (11:21 am)

120 this morning was back to normal load; caught at Westwood at 6:35ish. Seems the load was more evenly distributed. Standing room by the end, but the normal standing room.

AEL: sorry for your experience. I give up my seat all the time to others. The front of the bus is for people like you and the driver should be telling folks to move, they have in the past, if they are not elderly or disabled.

People are in the own world when on the bus sometimes, I would just walk up and ask for their seat. It should be a non issue. Of course I am the person in the back of the bus that yells “Back Door” for others as they are too timid or not loud enough. :)

Brent October 3, 2012 (11:22 am)

I’ve heard the 21 and 50 are faster than all the other buses staying on the viaduct.

“O” commented on having to backtrack from the 57’s stop at Seneca. Just take the 50 from the junction, and transfer to any of the frequent buses at SODO Station. Or take RR to 35th, and then transfer to the frequent 21, which enters downtown from the south.

Y’all caught that the 21 now runs at least every 15 minutes all day, right?

Single Mother October 3, 2012 (11:23 am)

I stayed home today considering how the commute has been going and tonight’s Mariner’s afternoon start time. Can’t handle all the hostility out there and the stress of not knowing if I’m going to be late to pick up my child from daycare in West Seattle.

Brent October 3, 2012 (11:29 am)

@Grundle (whoever you are):

Bus-pocalypse isn’t getting that much coverage because it was not nearly as bad as many predicted. Yes, there are still problems, but the histrionics seems unrelated to them, and more to do with those who are perpetually histrionic. Those who are sticking to reality and reporting the facts are helping get the hiccups alleviated.

WSB October 3, 2012 (11:41 am)

Brent, where were you reading ANY news organization predicting that it would be “bad”? We never reported that, nor did any of the regional sources I follow. (Aside from some news organizations using a Twitter hashtag, chosen in advance, that implied trouble – we aren’t big fans of hashtags in general so didn’t use it.) On the contrary, the advance coverage was a whole lot of “hey, brand-new line debuts” – and we have been the only publication consistently covering the West Seattle run-up for the past four-plus years. We got up at 4:30 am Saturday to go take a pic of the first RR departure and have stuck to “here’s what’s happening, here’s where you can find information,” followed by, once things were actually up and running, “here’s what people are saying.” Most of the pre-bus-changes/RR debut grumpiness has centered on very real car-traffic challenges created in dealing with some of the rechannelization and bus bulbs. Have seen them myself. We appreciate participation but not insulting those who are commenting about problems they say they have experienced. If you have been on the buses these past few days and not experienced problems, please by all means continue reporting that too. Thanks. – TR
- WSB October 3, 2012 (12:58 pm)
  
  P.S. Re: ongoing reporting – we are reminded that Mike @ Seattle Times has continued reporting via Twitter: https://twitter.com/mikelindblom – and you don’t have to have an account to read tweets. (He’s continued tracking RR again today, too.) We of all people should know this, since there are things we report on Twitter and Facebook that never wind up on the website – it’s a multi-channel world. – TR

natinstl October 3, 2012 (11:48 am)

Caught a 7:45 C at Findlay/California. Still more full than was typical on the old 54, but maybe 1-3 more seats left than the day before at that stop. Standing room only once we got to the Junction. Not many people waiting at the stops from 35th and Avalon on. I wonder if they’ve given up since they are some of the last stops and haven’t been able to get a seat or even get on the last few days.

Barry2012 October 3, 2012 (11:58 am)

I used to take the 54 express from Fauntleroy. Would get downtown in 20 minutes. Took about 35 today on RR since now we travel through the junction. Standing room only upon leaving the junction. I’m going to give metro the benefit of the doubt and keep trying, but its incredibly frustrating and doesnt seem to be a more efficient system…at least not yet.

kr October 3, 2012 (12:20 pm)

Took 8:10 116 from Alaska and Fauntleroy and didn’t get to 3rd & Union until 8:49. Big backup on 4th Ave near King Street station. The driver got on the intercom to say that there is confusion among the drivers about whether or not they should be stopping at RR stops or all stops in WS so he is stopping at every one. He was very nice about it but it definitely added time.

Not sure what the deal on 4th Ave was but he warned of the afternoon game today and said to stay away from SODO around 6-7pm.

S October 3, 2012 (1:23 pm)

SlowRide is a joke.

Diane October 3, 2012 (1:23 pm)

what happened to Mike Lindblom’s comment? did he delete it?

Diane October 3, 2012 (1:25 pm)

my response to Mike Lindblom’s comment, (claiming it has not been a disaster; his comment disappeared by the time I wrote this):
~
Mike, what time of day have you been riding the RR-C line? I rode the C-line on day 1 of weekday, but it was 9:30pm to downtown (7 on board) and back to WS from downtown on the C-line at 1:30am (5 on board); now if I can get a job downtown late at night, the RR may work just fine.
~
most of the “disaster” comments are from riders during peak morning/eve going to and from downtown jobs; the job market is still not so great that people can risk losing their jobs due to getting there late, due to crappy transit service
~
my first ride on C-line and D-line was from WS to Ballard on Sunday afternoon, to test it out before the weekday chaos; on Sunday, with perfect weather, no traffic, the bus was packed, standing room only, and took almost an hour; so I was not at all surprised to see what happened during work day commutes day 1, day 2, and predictably people getting fed up by day 3, now driving or working from home, and many buses still packed
~
and huge shout-out of thanks to TR; you spoil us, everyday
~
btw, I stopped using twitter more than a year ago, when it became “new improved”; I was active twitter user, but hate the new version, never use it anymore

a October 3, 2012 (1:48 pm)

I wouldn’t worry about getting through sodo this evening due to the mariners game. There’s only gonna be a few hundred people there.

Josh October 3, 2012 (2:10 pm)

I figured I’d at least chime in and say I caught the C at 8:29am at Fauntleroy and Rose by Lincoln Park. I was the only person waiting and there were plenty of seats when I got on. At the Alaska Junction, it became standing room only. Every stop was still hit, and the bus arrived at 2nd and Seneca at about 9:02. That’s still 5-10 minutes faster than the comparable 54 non-express.

While it’s been inconsistent this week and buses heading home have been very crowded, I appreciate the shorter commute vs. the regular 54 line. It was hard for me to catch the 54X, especially in the mornings.

I have faith that the kinks will be resolved once people adjust to the new changes. After all, this is the biggest wholesale change to Metro service since the 1970s. One can only expect some pains and try to be patient; it’s part of the price we pay for using public transportation.

As for the pregnant woman on the bus, I’m very sorry no one offered to give up your seat. That’s quite unfortunate. But you should try being more assertive and ask someone who is sitting in the front (or the bus driver), where people who need seats get priority. It’s your right and you should exercise it, rather than rely on the kindness of strangers.

Hilary October 3, 2012 (2:41 pm)

Got to 2nd & Columbia last night around 5:30 – couldn’t get on the first RR that came as it was already full – although the ORCA rep let a few more people on. The 21 was full as well. The second RR that came was a bit less full but certainly not a great experience.

I used to take the 5:33am 54 from Alaska & Fauntleroy – I’ve noticed the past 3 mornings that the RR has varied on the time it arrives, even though the schedule still says 5:33. Plus, if I missed the 5:33 for some reason, I could take the 54x at 5:49 and still usually make my transfer downtown. Now since I don’t have that option, and the 5:48 RR was late, I missed my connection.

Also, I’ve noticed that even at RR stops with scanners, people are waiting to board at the front and scan their orca cards. That definitely slowed down the trip. Hopefully they will catch on…

Juan October 3, 2012 (3:00 pm)

Been driving for the first time in years because of the so called rapid ride. Judging from other comments I suspect that this is part of the reason that RR seems less crowded and more efficient now.

Problem not fixed!

Last53BusRider October 3, 2012 (3:02 pm)

I have been downtown from Alki twice this week – at off-peak hours. Monday I transferred from the 50 to the C at the Junction. Yesterday, I decided to stay on the 50 to SODO station. Luckily, as the 50 comes into the Junction, it is possible to read the C arrival display while still on the bus. If it had been showing a C due in 2 mins or less, I might have just waited for it. But it showed 9 mins, so I stuck with my original plan for SODO and stayed on the 50. I went with Link and lucked out with a train that came almost immediately. Even so, an off-peak ride from Alki to downtown now takes twice as long. Fortunately, I am never in much of a hurry.

To strike a rare positive note, I rather like the fact that the 50 connects Alki, Admiral and the Junction, giving us direct service between the Junction and Alki on evenings and weekends.

And on the lighter side, I got over to Alki yesterday to find the 50 bus decorated with familiar balloon sculptures, including the signature penguin up front! One of our deposed 53 drivers is now on the route:)

Kathy October 3, 2012 (3:07 pm)

I have been having good luck with tne new 50 Route. About 25 minutes from Alki to SODO Link station where you can take either Link or several buses into the tunnel.

Sardine October 3, 2012 (3:25 pm)

Everyone I’ve been squished with this week on RR C seems to shower on a regular basis. Thank you!

Kayleigh October 3, 2012 (3:30 pm)

Just had a very rapid uncrowded RR C from the Junction to downtown. Yay!

Mike Lindblom October 3, 2012 (3:55 pm)

Hi Diane — Good luck to you –

I live near the Junction and took the C Line Monday at 7:20 a.m., Tuesday and Wednesday at 8:25 a.m. All three time it was “full” carrying 80-90 people aboard (there are 47 seats). That’s doable but too close for many people’s comfort. Don’t forget that peak 54 buses often filled before the service change. 2nd/Columbia was a bit chaotic on Monday afternoon, when I met WS riders who were passed up, and helped a few catch suitable buses home amid route changes.

The whole point of Rapid/Ride BRT is that Metro can throw more buses on the routes at relatively low cost, so they ought to be matching the demand. I haven’t heard from them yet today but will press the question for follow-up coverage.

HC @ Arbor Heights October 3, 2012 (4:05 pm)

Took the 21E around and out of Arbor Heights. It was standing room only by Morgan and 35th. Driver did not stay in the bridge bus lane until the end, but rather joined the line of cars creeping to the Hwy 99 exit. Commute was 50+ minutes – ugh!

Jack Loblaw October 3, 2012 (4:56 pm)

4:40 got on the C Line at 3rd & Bell the bus is only 40 percent full

Magpie October 3, 2012 (5:21 pm)

5:00 pm rapid ride c left Virginia with people already standing. 5:05 55 showed up at 5:15, no rapids ride in sight. Obviously not running every 10 min and all those riders are piling on to the 55 at Pike which will be standing room only . Boarding a wheelchair. Took about 4 min to board bus and now more people getting on standing. I did see 3 21’s and 2 56’s in this time. We actually sat at 3rd and pike for over 5 min, now 15 minutes late. Still no rapid ride

West Seattle since 1979 October 3, 2012 (5:38 pm)

Standing room only on 2 of 3 City buses at 2nd and Columbia between 5:20 and about 5:35. But they did stop.

Christie October 3, 2012 (5:40 pm)

5:30 – Caught RR at 3rd & Pike. We are just heading onto 99, all seats are full, about 20 people standing. It is a beautiful fall afternoon, peaceful trip home.

TinySandwiches October 3, 2012 (5:44 pm)

I can be ok with transition but I also don’t think Rapid ride is getting any faster in the future. I used to take the 22 from WS to QA. The rapid ride is just as slow but atleast when it gets cold and wet I don’t have to wait outside to transfer downtown. I was even ok that it might take a little longer to get home tonight because I was able to get a seat for the whole ride. I guess I got a little cocky because I pulled put my iPad and hoped on the free wifi that only worked for a few blocks. I mean, free wifi was really the only perk to rapid ride for me and that’s not happening now.

Diane October 3, 2012 (5:53 pm)

thank you Mike

Jenn October 3, 2012 (5:58 pm)

I’m on the RR and the bus driver is even ranting about how flawed the system is. Apparently he is 20 min behind schedule.

Chagrined October 3, 2012 (6:03 pm)

I think it’s clear from the polarized comments (as I it weren’t common knowledge) that commuting from W. Seattle to downtown during peak hours is completely different than non-peak. Comments pointing out how awesome or novel things have been in off-peak times is utterly moot and frankly should be stricken from the record, so to speak. Clearly the issue is peak travel and, my friends, it has been terrible this week. Like epic, off the charts terrible. I’ve ridden two completely different routes and drove to work one day because of this nonsense. This is a large enough city and a well funded project, not some backwoods, Cracker Jack project. There is no excuse for all this chaos. I have three words for metro. THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE.

timh2o October 3, 2012 (6:28 pm)

Caught the C at 4:30pm and it was not full, BUT there were three C bus’s nearly the same time to WS from 2nd/Columbia. I thought they were suppose to be spread out 10 minutes, one may have been an attempt at being an overflow bus.
I really like the wide doors with the large landing.
I did race for a seat at 7am at Alaska/California and got one! Woo hoo.

Eli October 3, 2012 (6:37 pm)

About RR (although none of my experiences thus far have been rapid) I have few complaints. I sort of expected most of these shenanigans. What I didn’t expect was my morning 55 to get so messed up. I’m fine with the 12 minute earlier timetable, but it was 10 minutes late the first day and didn’t come yesterday. When I got on a different bus the driver said everyone is lost and delayed. She said this as she passed a stop neglecting people waiting and then missed the turn for Alaska Junction. How do drivers not know their routes?! Are they not made to drive them beforehand? Not to patronize but if you can’t get your stops right don’t you fail at your job? That’s like an architect that can’t draw.

Aj October 3, 2012 (8:01 pm)

There were a lot cars on the WSB this morning. I wonder if they were former bus passengers.

michael October 3, 2012 (9:11 pm)

eli
the drivers have a run card and should read it before doing the routes yet metro doesn’t seem to test or make sure that the driver understands the route they are to drive as i found out day 2 of rr and was removed from the bus by seattle pd for letting the driver know he was going to miss the new stop west bound on avalon in front of the storeage place. once the drive saw i was correct he had me removed at 35th and avalon by the police at 12:30 AM. so to let you know metro doesn’t really care if the drivers know the routes they are driving just that the driver is breathing and drives the bus.

michael October 3, 2012 (9:30 pm)

i find it really sad that us south of the junction no longer can get a bus to qfc or safeway at jefferson sq. as there are no buses that stop there that go south anymore just another thing metro has not addressed as far as us that live here in west seattle. i guess metro likes having lots of shopping carts left at the bus stops in the jct and maybe they are planning on that making new jobs for metro to return all of the shopping carts. as i’m not going to carry bags 2 blocks to get onto a bus from the store when i used to be able to just catch the bus there at jeff sq or qfc area home after shoping

Shane October 3, 2012 (9:56 pm)

I’ll be a former bus rider as of Monday if nothing changes. Taking the bus is already 3 times as slow as driving, but at least I could work on my computer before this change – now there’s no room.

I’m not a big fan of all the spending on fancier stops and technology for reading bus passes. I’m also not sure adding a door to the bus is really a much of a change given the much large quantity of people at each stop. Need more buses on this route not more doors.

I’m okay with the over-all change in routes, and actually thought this route design is better. Wish they had switched to the new routes and worked out the kinks there before spending gobs of money on fluff.

Gup October 3, 2012 (10:00 pm)

My anger has subsided to sadness. I have always taken the bus because I found it less stressful than driving. Now the bus with all its delays and unpredictability stresses me out. Tomorrow I will drive and will give the bus a shot again next week. Sorry to put more traffic on the bridge, but I cannot start my day standing in the dark frustrated.

eric1 October 3, 2012 (10:38 pm)

I don’t fault those who are going to drive. What makes me sad is that I get to pay $80 in additional car tab fees to metro for this “upgraded service”. There is NO way I would put up with this if my bus pass wasn’t subsidized. Pretty soon even that won’t be worth it.

Brent October 4, 2012 (12:29 am)

As far as I know, none of the funding for RapidRide came from any car tab. TransitNow is a sales tax. Its contribution to RapidRide is more than matched by the federal government’s contribution.

Lynn October 4, 2012 (9:53 am)

Two words: EPIC FAIL. Had to wait 12 minutes for Rapid Ride at the junction this morning. Bus was almost full when it got there. The driver would not let any other people board after the junction. People disgruntled and complaining. I am tempted to drive again.

WSB October 4, 2012 (10:02 am)

Thanks! Just a reminder to all, we have a THURSDAY thread on the home page now so any comments on today’s experiences, please add there – we’re trying to keep a day-by-day track for at least a week or so. Thank you! – Tracy

Michele October 4, 2012 (12:39 pm)

I ride the number 128 bus in the morning at 6:40 and it is awful. Standing room only, teenagers refusing to move to the back and a route that sways up and down hills, many potholes andlots of language that is disgusting. Why can Metro not put a longer bus on this route or add another short bus for the transportation to school. Alot of the young girls cannot reach the overhead hand rail and not enough poles to hold onto to. I am 55 and I cant reach them either. Will it take a person falling down and breaking a body part to realize how unsafe this is. It would help if the driver also asked these kids to move to the back of the bus, bust she doesnt, is she afraid of them?

Kirsty October 4, 2012 (12:51 pm)

I took the RR in from Fauntleroy at 8:20 or so, and that was fine.

My afternoon commute was terrible. Left work at 5:00, hustled down the hill to 2nd and Columbia. First RR bus went by at 5:05 stuffed to the gills (I think a couple people crammed themselves on). Then nothing… I don’t actually know when the next RR came because I gave up and hopped on a crowded 21E more than 10 minutes later– and then ran down Barton so that I could make the 6 PM daycare cutoff.

Metro: as a working parent, I need efficiency, or reliability. Ideally both, but, I’d settle for one or the other at this point. Getting from downtown to Fauntleroy in 1 HOUR doesn’t seem like too much to ask.

Norma October 4, 2012 (5:34 pm)

They took our bus away so we will mostly drive our car from now on. Thank goodness we still have that option and my husband is really good at finding alternate routes when things are jammed up. Many people I know haven’t figured out how to get places yet. I’ve been a bus rider all my life but 8 blocks each way is a long way for an old lady.

Charles October 5, 2012 (8:42 am)

Ended up working from home to avoid the mess. Had late afternoon appointments that I COULD NOT be late for, and given the reliability (or lack thereof) of the C line I felt I just didn’t need to deal with the stress induced from taking the bus.

Jim P. October 5, 2012 (11:49 pm)

“They took our bus away so we will mostly drive our car from now on. Thank goodness we still have that option”

Not a lot of fun for those of us who cannot drive and have no choice how we travel.

Those who create the bus routes and schedules should be required to give up their cars for a year or two…give them an appreciation for what riders have to got through sometimes.

Most of the decision makers do not use the system. I’d bet money the senior execs have a car and driver on call in fact.