Austin's bus system - VERY UNIMPRESSIVE (Orange, Cool: buses, metro, schedule)

[Nomadic9460678748]

Originally Posted by artsyguy

Are the central services better? What were your experiences with the UT shuttle?

Central services tend to be (Capital Metro) better. Take that for what it says . . . it's as good as Capital Metro can do. But of course during rush hour everything comes to a crawl and there is no "better." The shuttles are pretty frequent during regular Fall and Spring semesters with a significant reduction in service during the Summer. I still ride the shuttles to get to work, the shuttle is usually the last of the three, sometimes four, buses I must take to get to work (Capital Metro has never deemed fit to create a genuine express line along Burnet road, but that's not surprising seeing as how the #101 Limited Flyer usually runs at a snail's pace).

[brubaker]

San Antonio has better bus service by far. And that speaks volumes because VIA VIA! is horrible.
At least I thought so before coming here.

[eepstein]

Capital Metro is the laughing stock of the nation. I am affiliated with numerous transportation agencies throughout the nation and nearly everyone is familar with the "trainwreck" that is the Austin bus system. I have also spoken with people that can't understand how Capital Metro continues to operate with it's "leadership".

Originally Posted by + or -

In addition to driving my car, I've been riding the local bus system, Capital Metro, to get around town. I decided to utilize the cities' public services for two reasons -- one, because friends of mine have told me that it can be a true cosmopolitan experience; one that entails interacting with people from all different walks of life, from all over the city.

Two, because I have heard that the system is extremely incompetant and inefficent. In riding the bus for the past two weeks, I can attest to both of these points.

My observations:

1. Many of the buses that operate in and around central Austin/UT are FILTHY. There's often used, trampled beer cans, bottles, and wrappers rolling around, littering the floor.

2. Many of the busses smell horrid - a mixture of body odor, a lack of cleanliness, and stale air.

3. A number of the bus drivers are extremely rude, and not knowledgeable about their own routes and how long it takes to get somewhere. If you try to get clarification on a particular route, or bus, you get attitude and are told to look at the bus schedule.

4. It takes ridiculous amounts of time to get places on the north side that are within five minutes of eachother in a car. For instance, it takes over an hour and a half to get from Wells Branch to The Domain.

5. The system itself seems very unorganized, with needless stops abounding and lots of non-sensical detours and transfers.

6. If you've yet to experience the bus system here, when I make reference to a cosmopolitan experience, I mean get ready to experience everything.

Case in point, there are homeless people who haven't showered in weeks, thugs of all ethnicities, little old ladies with bags of groceries, people who appear to hold professional jobs, students, artists, and everything in between.

There's also quite a bit of vulgar language, gestures, and innuendo thrown about which made me quite uncomfortable. There are often verbal altercations between either the bus driver and someone on the bus, or two people on the bus. I had the misfortune of seeing a physical altercation between two passengers.

7. If you look like you have money, you are setting yourself up for trouble. Purposefully dress down and do not wear any flashy or expensive jewelry. It only makes you a target.

Conclusion: The few dollars you save in gas is not worth the hassle of transfers, waiting, a poorly planned bus route, rude drivers, and/or crazy passengers. I mean, by the time you get to your destination, you're worn out, dirty, and possibly traumatized.

While the experience may have been cosmopolitan, I can attest definitively that the bus will continue to be my last resort as a form of transportation. My deepest condolences to those who rely on public transportation in this city.

[CptnRn]

Originally Posted by love roses

Is the CAMPO system similar to the one that wants to run lines from SA up through RR (possibly Hutto/Taylor?G'Town) or was that a different company? I think it was in the Community Update paper at one time.

CAMPO is a planning organization, Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO), for Williamson, Travis and Hays counties. They do not actually run any of the transportation agencies. They provide planning assistance and try to coordinate the 3 counties local governments plans and efforts.

Check out these maps they provide regarding current and future roadway congestion.

Map 2.1: Roadway Congestion in 2007.

Map 2.2: Roadway Congestion in 2030 If no New Projects Are Built

Map 2.3: Roadway Congestion in 2030 If 2030 Plan Projects Are Built

[brubaker]

Originally Posted by eepstein

Capital Metro is the laughing stock of the nation. I am affiliated with numerous transportation agencies throughout the nation and nearly everyone is familar with the "trainwreck" that is the Austin bus system. I have also spoken with people that can't understand how Capital Metro continues to operate with it's "leadership".

Good lord...I didn't think it was that bad.

[Pvt. Parts]

Originally Posted by + or -

2. Many of the busses smell horrid - a mixture of body odor, a lack of cleanliness, and stale air.

I can deal with everything but the above!

[+ or -]

I forgot to add, if you leave anything of value on a bus, forget about ever seeing it again.

My Palm Pilot was stolen by someone on the bus and I didn't realize it until I got off and didn't have it. When I called Capitol Metro, despite giving them the exact bus, and time I was on it, were unable to find the culprit.

F*** Capitol Metro.

[TexasHorseLady]

Originally Posted by + or -

I forgot to add, if you leave anything of value on a bus, forget about ever seeing it again.

My Palm Pilot was stolen by someone on the bus and I didn't realize it until I got off and didn't have it. When I called Capitol Metro, despite giving them the exact bus, and time I was on it, were unable to find the culprit.

F*** Capitol Metro.

Okay, here's a question. "Someone on the bus" stole your Palm Pilot. You weren't searched when you left the bus (so we can assume that searching departing passengers isn't the norm - is it where you came from, by the way?), nor were you required to give your name when boarding and leaving the bus, nor did you have to show an ID when doing so, nor give your fingerprints (and I can just imagine what you'd be writing if these had happened). So, an anonymous person on the bus somehow stole your Palm Pilot (did you set it down or something so they could get it, or was it stolen out of your backpack, or what?) and Cap Metro is bad because they can't track down the perpetrator out of all the people who rode that bus if you give them the bus number and time that you rode it.

How is this reasonable? If it IS reasonable, please tell us exactly how you would expect them to proceed beyond filing a police report.

Now, if it had been turned in to lost and found, perhaps, but you say it was stolen by someone on the bus.

[tray5485]

Come to Chicago and take a ride on our CTA (Chicago Transit Authority) bus or subway..3 people from my high school got shot and killed on a bus within the same month during my senior year! People get killed, robbed, beat-up, etc literally EVERYDAY somewhere within the city on public transportation! I can assure you, you'll think Austin's bus service is paradise when you get back!

[the minx]

When I worked downtown, I used to take the Dillo to and from the parking area to my building. I never had much a problem getting to work because I went in early, but trying to get back to my car was ridiculous. Because it was free back then, there was no shortage of weirdos just taking a ride.

I think the estimated time between Dillos was supposed to be 12-15 minutes (if I remember correctly) depending on the time of day. I regularly waited 20-30 minutes for one to show up. And, inevitably, there would be 3 or 4 bunched up together instead of spaced out like they should have been. On top of that, the driver would make a stop - and stay there! That peeved me to no end. He was already running behind, but he felt the need to sit there and read his paper for 10 minutes?? I'm sure there was some excuse for it, but there was really no valid reason as far as I could see.

Fast forward to today. The Dillo service has been cut to 2 routes and now there are fees. (I don't have to ride anymore, thank goodness.) CapMetro's reason for cutting the routes: too many complaints about the Dillos not being on time and not having enough buses to cover the routes. WTF? That's valid. Because you can't keep the buses on time, just cut the service all together!! Give me a break. I knew so many people who relied on that service downtown. It's really sad that CapMetro couldn't get their stuff together and keep on going.