Austin's bus system - VERY UNIMPRESSIVE (Round Rock, San Diego: apartments, taxes, live)

[Nomadic9460678748]

Capital Metro is a joke.

That being said, efficient, reliable, and comprehensive mass transit should be a priority for any city which purports to be a green, progressive locale, especially one which is experiencing the type of growth which Austin is experiencing. Austin will never be at the level of say D.C., Boston, or even Portland, Oregon, when it comes to its mass transit investments, but so much of that has to do with what twange cited. The reactionary and resounding "NOs!" which drown out proponents of mass transit always have their way because people don't want to be inconvenienced by construction or are simply not even willing to try and ride mass transit. I don't own a car, so I don't have a choice in the matter, but those who do have a choice in the matter, more often than not, choose not to ride public transportation if only because it is notoriously unreliable. Failure becomes an inevitable self-fulfilling prophesy.

I've always ridden public transportation (buses in Austin and trains elsewhere), I recognize that far too many Austinites are not going to give up driving their cars. Texas is a car-centric state. Encouraging public transportation use and investment requires a seismic shift in the way people are used to living. When someone lives in the core or more dense neighborhoods (Hyde Park, Travis Heights, Bouldin Creek) it's quite conceivable that one could walk to dinner, to a local watering hole to the video store, and then home; but Austin is far too spread out for its lackluster bus system to be of much use. The buses are never on time, routes really don't go where you need them to go, and yes, the drivers are usually exceptionally rude and uninformed. That's why I just plan my route in advance so as to avoid hassling with them.

With regard to OP's criticisms of vulgarity, etc., I just put on my headphones, bury my head in my reading material and that's that. For me, I don't mind that there are homeless people on the buses. They pay their fare, they should be permitted to ride. Besides, that's the real world. It's full of people who sometimes smell, curse, drink too much, but need to get somewhere. Alas, the overcrowded, unruly tint of public transportation is part of its charm to me. One day, before I take the old dirt bath, I hope to go to a fun place like Thailand and ride a nice claptrap bus with livestock. That's not a joke. It really is a dream of mine.

[+ or -]

I think the thoughts above are quite accurate, and explain overall why the quality of no major Texas cities public transportation is as good as other metros, no matter how progressive or metropolitan it claims to be.

The necessity of good, reliable public transporation by a large segment of the populace is what ultimately leads to certain cities, such as Chicago, to implement on a large scale a fantastic bus system. I think in Texas, people are dependent upon using their cars, and don't want to deal with the hassle of not driving -- and after this experience, I can clearly see why.

The city isn't large enough to justify spending over an hour to take a bus downtown if you live far north, for instance. In a car, depending on traffic, this would be a 15 to 20 minute trip.

[twange]

Originally Posted by + or -

I think the thoughts above are quite accurate, and explain overall why the quality of no major Texas cities public transportation is as good as other metros, no matter how progressive or metropolitan it claims to be.

The necessity of good, reliable public transporation by a large segment of the populace is what ultimately leads to certain cities, such as Chicago, to implement on a large scale a fantastic bus system. I think in Texas, people are dependent upon using their cars, and don't want to deal with the hassle of not driving -- and after this experience, I can clearly see why.

The city isn't large enough to justify spending over an hour to take a bus downtown if you live far north, for instance. In a car, depending on traffic, this would be a 15 to 20 minute trip.

Even though they are just starting out, Dallas and even Houston (though limited as of now) are kicking Austin's in PT. Granted, they are much bigger but I thought Austin was the progressive, green, forward-thinking city and Dallas and Houston were just soul-less, mega-corporate, materialistic wannabe cities. That's some weak Austin. Better start backing up that talk.

Like Mimi above said: posers.

[atxcio]

Originally Posted by Nomadic9460678748

With regard to OP's criticisms of vulgarity, etc., I just put on my headphones, bury my head in my reading material and that's that. For me, I don't mind that there are homeless people on the buses. They pay their fare, they should be permitted to ride. Besides, that's the real world. It's full of people who sometimes smell, curse, drink too much, but need to get somewhere. Alas, the overcrowded, unruly tint of public transportation is part of its charm to me. One day, before I take the old dirt bath, I hope to go to a fun place like Thailand and ride a nice claptrap bus with livestock. That's not a joke. It really is a dream of mine.

You are the kind of person that should be running Cap Metro. Someone who dreams about riding the most crowded public transportation, and finds charm in the humanity of it, would be perfect. I doubt any of the top brass at Cap Metro even ride the bus, much less dream about doing so. More likely, they dream about bonus checks and seeing their logo plastered on shiny new trains...

[latikeriii]

It's funny but i've seen far more weird people, off kiltered people on Austin's Busses than even Chicago's, Boston's, NYC's, DC's trains/buses. Cap Metro is a joke, it is poorly run and has always been. Honestly, besides the #1 N. Lamar bus, i've never had better than "OK" service and on-time is rare. Austin proper has close to a 800K people and the central core is getting denser, so there is an opportunity to really improve the bus system(as well as getting the rail up and going).

However, there needs to be competent leadership at the top, someone with experience from a larger bus system and like an earlier poster stated, Austin is too much of a car culture and people aren't and probably won't be willing to part with their cars. BTW, I believe that Dallas's rail system will compete will the larger systems across the country in less than 20 years, I like what they're doing. I'm not so sure about Houston though.

[Nomadic9460678748]

Originally Posted by atxcio

You are the kind of person that should be running Cap Metro. Someone who dreams about riding the most crowded public transportation, and finds charm in the humanity of it, would be perfect. I doubt any of the top brass at Cap Metro even ride the bus, much less dream about doing so. More likely, they dream about bonus checks and seeing their logo plastered on shiny new trains...

What can I say? I really was raised on public transportation. That was the result of economic necessity. As an adult with a more engaged political viewpoint I've come to realize that there are actually significant benefits to encouraging the implementation of a worthwhile mass transit system. I know what it means to rely on public transportation out of necessity, but in addition to that I can relate to the ecological and economic benefits of a committed public transportation project.

I'm too smart to work for Capital Metro. And well, they probably couldn't afford to pay me what I'm worth. Jokes, jokes.

[twange]

Originally Posted by latikeriii

However, there needs to be competent leadership at the top, someone with experience from a larger bus system and like an earlier poster stated, Austin is too much of a car culture and people aren't and probably won't be willing to part with their cars. BTW, I believe that Dallas's rail system will compete will the larger systems across the country in less than 20 years, I like what they're doing. I'm not so sure about Houston though.

Not too be contrary (because I agree with your post) but I simply refuse to believe that Austin is unique in its love affair with cars and that's why the PT is so bad. It's an American thing. I'm originally from Cleveland, Ohio where they make (uh, check that: made) steel and cars. My Dad worked for Ford Motor over 40 years, as did many of my friends fathers. I don't think ANY of them have ever even stepped onto a bus. PT has been so bad in America for so long, that's it's become the perceived transportation for the least common denominator. Sole proprietary shuttles for the socially downtrodden, poor elderly and economically-strapped students, which I think reinforces economic and racial barriers. Most people with reasonable means see it as an occasional "fun city thing to do" and would never really consider riding it regularly unless they absolutely had to. That's part of the battle: getting people who don't need it to use it. Choice riders. It has to take people where they want and need to go, in a reasonably timely manner. And it helps for it to look and feel good.

I've been without a car many times and am currently sharing a car with my wife who rides the bus a few times a week. We live very close to downtown and it is still very inconvenient. And I'm no eco-nazi trying to ban cars: they certainly have their place in the modern world, but a city of Austin's current size deserves much better service then it's getting. Even if Austin stayed at the exact population of today, it would still need to improve its PT. Add in the inevitable growth and there is potentially a real possibility in the next 20 years of this city getting L.A.-ish.

[artsyguy]

I agree Dallas is ahead in that way and in many other ways.

Originally Posted by twange

Even though they are just starting out, Dallas and even Houston (though limited as of now) are kicking Austin's AZZ in PT. Granted, they are much bigger but I thought Austin was the progressive, green, forward-thinking city and Dallas and Houston were just soul-less, mega-corporate, materialistic wannabe cities. That's some weak sh*t Austin. Better start backing up that talk.

Like Mimi above said: posers.

[austin_mommy]

Thank god for the efficient UT shuttles. Most students don't drive to campus. Would have been crazy if they did.

[artsyguy]

Did you not read the OP's original post? He included the UT Shuttles in his post.

Originally Posted by austin_mommy

Thank god for the efficient UT shuttles. Most students don't drive to campus. Would have been crazy if they did.