Basic Park and Ride questions (Dallas, Kingsland: home, transfer, costs)

[ktr]

1. How many stops do the Park and Ride buses actually make downtown? The Metro schedules list arrival times at five or six intersections--are those the only stops, or do the buses also stop at more points in between?

2. I've noticed most office buildings have several very orderly lines--how do people know which line to get in? Is there some system involved, or do you just ask the people already there?

Thanks!

[SteveArmy]

try ridemetro.org trip planner

[Watchful]

Originally Posted by ktr

1. How many stops do the Park and Ride buses actually make downtown? The Metro schedules list arrival times at five or six intersections--are those the only stops, or do the buses also stop at more points in between?

2. I've noticed most office buildings have several very orderly lines--how do people know which line to get in? Is there some system involved, or do you just ask the people already there?

Thanks!

They usually stop every other block or so. The actual signs downtown indicate which lines stop there. Not sure about the lines.

There is clearly understood protocol. I am an infrequent rider, and I got to the end of the line one time - and started to get out of my seat and get off, and then realized that since everyone was getting off there - that the protocol was just to wait in your seat until it was time for your row to exit - as opposed to a mass rush - it was quite civilized!

[bamba_boy]

I ride the Belfort 265 and it stops about every 4-5 blocks off the 59-spur until it gets to the Pierce El. then every 2 blocks in the Central Bus. District.

There are usually well-ordered queues as mentioned; just ask if you're in the right one. I got yelled at one time when I rode a PnR for the first time to the north side and didn't see the queue well up from the curb under a building overhang and jumped it getting onto the bus. They really let me have it so I backed off and waited until the queued people got on! Same thing ON the bus at the end of your line. Wait until people in seats ahead of you get off before you exit your seat and enter the aisle or prepare for a thorough beat-down.

I've only seen this very ritualized behavior in H-town. Most other cities' trains and buses are more "Lord of the Flies" with the strongest and most brutal getting the first jump onloading and offloading. Do other cities viewers observe such politeness on their mass transit?

[lonestarwvu]

Bamba_boy speaks the truth, and I have never been in another city that has the type of etiquette routines that the Park and Rides here do, but those places have city buses/trains and not commuter buses.

[Redrover]

I use the 228 Park & Ride every day from the lot at I-10 & Highway 6. Once we board the bus does not stop until it gets to downtown and has one stop at Bagby before it turns on to Smith. Then it stops every two blocks but I get off at Polk so I don't know the stops beyond mine but I believe there may be 3 more. Then in the afternoon I walk over (1 block) to Louisiana and get the 228 outbound at the corner of Louisiana and Dallas. There are several stops before the bus gets to my corner and then there are four more stops in town before the bus heads for I-10 and home.

There are always three lines in the afternoon, the 228 (Addicks), the 221 (Kingsland) , & the 222 (Grandparkway). The 228 line is always the outside line but I don't really notice which the other two are but the riders always know. The fare each way is $3.75 and can be paid with exact change or with the "Q" card issued by Metro. My company subsidizes my fare by 50% so it costs me $75 each month.

If you get downtown and have to go home in the middle of the day there is a 229 bus that takes riders for the 228 (Addicks) & the 221 (Kingsland) routes but it only runs about every 45 minutes or so. The other posters are right about the polite disembarking when returning to the parking lot in the evening. The first time I saw it I was amazed and it continues to please me. Yesterday though some lady in the rear went charging up the aisle to get off and several people chastized her for not following the protocol but she ignored them and pushed her way off (bumping into me).

All things considered, I really like taking the bus instead of driving. It is very convenient for me as my office is right on Smith & Dallas which requires minimal walking to get to and from my office and if the weather is bad I can take the tunnel from my building to the building where the outbound stop is and never set foot outside until I get to the bus line which is under cover.

To answer one of your questions though, the bus only stops at the pre-scheduled stops and sometimes on the outbound routes the bus is totally full but the driver will tell any prospective riders that it is standing room only and there will usually be several people who will opt to stand, just to get out of town.

[chad.roper]

The park and ride system is much better than most cities. If I go to galleria or downtown or medical center I usually just drive to the Kuykendahl park and ride and go that way. They leave the park and ride and do not stop until they are downtown or at galleria. Downtown they stop every other block. At each stop there are signs that tells what bus stops there. You can go to their website or call 713.435.6000 Also I have that card you hold by the scanner instead of feeding them money. If you get on the park and ride like if I want to go to galleria it gives you a transfer I can use on the local bus that goes there. The park and ride buses are expensive 3.00 to 4.00 each way but it saves the trouble of having to hunt for a parking spot and dealing with idiots coming out of parking garages so fast their wheels come off the floor.

[ktr]

Thanks for all the comments!