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I know, of course, that public transportation here in the South tends to be subpar in general, and therefore not on par with, say, NYC, DC, Boston, etc, but how reliable, compared to other cities of similar sizes in the South, is Asheville's public transit system? If I were to move there, working in the mental health/healthcare field, what is the likelihood that I would be able to get to work (wherever that may be) via a bus? I know I'd have to have a car to visit family, go to the region's nature spaces, etc, but I'm thinking mainly of any activities, up to and including employment, within the actual city of Asheville. I'm really trying to start being as environmentally friendly as possible, and as I'm planning on moving out of the Myrtle Beach area anyways within the next couple of years, my lifestyle changes include, ideally, minimal driving.
It would be virtually impossible. The bus routes only run along a few major streets, so you'd have to live close to one of those to start. Plus, most routes are an hour or an hour and a half between buses, and if you're going from one side of town to another you have go downtown to the central station, and then switch to another bus.
As an example, lets say you live in west Asheville near the intersection of Patton Avenue and Haywood Road, close enough to Patton Ave. to walk to the bus stop. And lets say you work at Mission Hospital and you need to be there at 8:00 AM. The bus arrives at Patton/Haywood at 6:18 AM, gets to the downtown station at 6:27. The bus to the hospital leaves at 7:00, and gets to the hospital at 7:05. Thats an hour earlier than you need, but the next bus after that doesn't leave the transit center until 8:30, so that doesn't work either. And the next bus on Patton Avenue isn't until 7:18, and gets downtown at 7:27, so that doesn't work either. By the way, this a 20 minute drive by car.
Those are the kinds of logistical challenges you'd face, unless you were lucky and lived on the same route that went by your work, without having to switch buses.
Edit: Actually, I need to edit my hypothetical example. One could take the 7:18 bus from Patton/Haywood, get downtown at 7:27, get on the S6 bus at 7:45 and get to the hospital at 7:58. So thats close to an hour for what could be a 20 minute drive. Thats probably about as good as it gets though. And of course that only Monday through Friday. The S6 bus doesn't stop at the hospital on Saturday, nor run at all on Sunday.
If the OP is in decent condition and used to riding, buy a good bike for the commute, though it won't be fun on very rainy days or the occasional real winter day...
GL, mD
but how reliable, compared to other cities of similar sizes in the South, is Asheville's public transit system?
BC1960's spot on.
It's one of the worst places I've ever been for it. I've driven past a bus stop with someone waiting, continued down the road for another 20 minutes, went to dinner, drove back past the bus stop and the same poor person is still waiting. The only places the buses seem to go with regularity are the places you could (mostly) walk to anyway (and probably quicker).
One thing a lot of people around the area do (mainly due to them losing their licences to DUIs) is ride scooters, but it's pretty dangerous.
Also another one on the dangerous scale is some people do just walk along the side of the roads (which usually don't even have much of a shoulder). Makes you wonder how many people get hit doing that.
If the OP is in decent condition and used to riding, buy a good bike for the commute, though it won't be fun on very rainy days or the occasional real winter day...
GL, mD
Good idea mD! I see a lot of buses have bicycle carriers too. So the OP can bus part of the way then ride their bicycle.
Ha! I haven't ridden a bike since I was twelve. This is quite disappointing, as it looked online as if they had a pretty decent bus fleet. I expected there to be a long ride on the bus, as that's pretty much the norm for public transit in the south, but having such a long wait time to get picked up is disappointing.
While I don't live in Asheville now, I did for a while and while there, I did use the bus.
Most of what the previous posters have said is true. However, I think it's absolutely do-able IF you plan your home and work locations knowing you'll be using public transit. And of course, that only works if you can afford and find a place to live along the required route(s). So with some planning, you can but it'll take some dedication. Would also help if your work schedule were flexible enough for you to arrive/leave at a reasonable time but wouldn't have a set, specific time for either.
I'm reviving an older thread here, but wondered if there are decent taxis around Asheville, not for everyday commuting, but for getting from point A to B in inclement weather, or when carrying lots of packages and shopping bags, etc. As one gets older, driving can become more challenging and living in a place with other options is helpful.
Also, is there any kind of "senior" transportation for older residents who no longer drive, but may need to get to a doctor's appointment? Some cities have small buses or vans designated for that purpose.
I'm reviving an older thread here, but wondered if there are decent taxis around Asheville, not for everyday commuting, but for getting from point A to B in inclement weather, or when carrying lots of packages and shopping bags, etc. As one gets older, driving can become more challenging and living in a place with other options is helpful.
Also, is there any kind of "senior" transportation for older residents who no longer drive, but may need to get to a doctor's appointment? Some cities have small buses or vans designated for that purpose.
Thanks! Glad to hear that Uber and Lyft are operating in AVL. I'll check out the link you provided. Thanks!
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