shannon j.l. ([info]shanejayell) wrote in [info]vancouver,
@ 2008-07-05 10:54:00
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Current mood: bitchy

*random transit bitching*
With the amount we pay in fares and taxes, is it asking so much that the damn bus show up?!  I was waiting in Coquitlam for the 97 lougheed at 8:30, never turned up till 9:08. Lost my chance to get connecting busses and farked up my morning..... 


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[info]perdin
2008-07-05 05:58 pm UTC (link)
Rule of thumb for Transit: It either leaves 10 minutes early or ten minutes late >.>

Sometimes they just don't show!

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[info]shanejayell
2008-07-05 06:03 pm UTC (link)
Got there early to wait, so didn't show.

*growls*

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[info]surrey_sucks
2008-07-05 07:36 pm UTC (link)
Rule of thumb for Vancouver transit: never count on the bus coming when it's supposed to. Sometimes, I wonder why I even bother with looking up when buses are scheduled to come.

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[info]ladylickwid
2008-07-05 09:32 pm UTC (link)
And this is why I will never give up my car. I can't rely on the transit system to get me to work on time, nor do I relish having to get up at 3AM. It's bad enough I have to get up at 5AM now.

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[info]surrey_sucks
2008-07-05 10:00 pm UTC (link)
We're told to "go green", yet transit is not reliable, it is inconvenient if you live in the suburbs, and it is expensive.

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[info]ladylickwid
2008-07-05 10:16 pm UTC (link)
I do live in the 'burbs. It would take me SIX buses to get to work. It takes me 40 minutes by car and I get to rock out to my own tunage as loud as I want.

Now convince me why I would switch to taking the bus to work?

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[info]a_happenstance
2008-07-06 02:53 am UTC (link)
I couldn't agree more. Rather then a quick zip over the bridge in my car, on the bus it'd take me at least forty five minutes to an hour to get to my job in North Vancouver.

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[info]ladylickwid
2008-07-06 05:16 am UTC (link)
A-fucking-men. If the transit system was more convenient to people who live OUTSIDE of downtown, I might change my mind.

Nahhhhh, i wouldn't. I love my car.

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[info]aubieturtle
2008-07-05 06:24 pm UTC (link)
Every transit system should have an online map where you can see the real time location of all buses (trains would be good too). It seems to be getting popular with campus transit systems in the US, so hopefully metro transit systems will soon follow suit.

Example:
http://ufl.transloc-inc.com/

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[info]surrey_sucks
2008-07-05 07:34 pm UTC (link)
But if you're waiting at a bus stop, how can you go on-line to check?

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[info]ap
2008-07-05 07:39 pm UTC (link)
iPhone!

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[info]surrey_sucks
2008-07-05 07:40 pm UTC (link)
That's too fancy for me. People are surprised that my phone is just a phone--no camera, etc.

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[info]arwenoid
2008-07-05 07:55 pm UTC (link)
Same way you find the scheduled information -- call in. Instead of getting when it's supposed to arrive, you'll get told where it actually is.

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[info]surrey_sucks
2008-07-05 07:57 pm UTC (link)
you'll get told where it actually is.

That is useful information!

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[info]eleventytw0
2008-07-06 06:49 pm UTC (link)
Really.

I've called in and the operator told me that "oh well, it should be there right now.."

That bus didn't come for another 45 minutes, on top of the 45 minutes I was waiting already. So much for a bus that comes every 30 minutes. :(

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[info]arwenoid
2008-07-06 10:24 pm UTC (link)
Right. Because right now, they're going off of scheduled information, which isn't accurate, by the very nature of how transit works. See my other response, "They're working on it [a GPS-based system]. It's in testing now. It's actually a pretty cool little system. :)"

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[info]aubieturtle
2008-07-05 07:55 pm UTC (link)
As much as I'd like to say that everyone should have a PDA or web enabled phone, that's not realistic but there are other solutions. The fanciest would be to have a monitor at each stop. That's not very practical except for only the highest used stops. But if the investment is already made to track all of the buses, a cheaper solution such as a numeric LED display at the bus stop that simply shows how many minutes until the next bus arrives would be ok. The difficult thing is that most transit agencies try to over engineer such solutions and turn a simple two digit display into a hundred thousand dollar installation.

Another possibility would be to get nearby ground level retail/offices to agree to place a screen in their window. They can put advertising around the screen so they get some business out of it and the riding public gets up to date information on the next bus. This of course only works where the bus stop is near a building with a cooperative owner.

There is no perfect solution but there is plenty that can be done that will solve 80% of the problem. Unfortunately, the number one solution, to have buses always arrive on time, is an unsolvable problem as long as buses have to mix in with normal traffic (decided lanes help but they still get stuck at blocked intersection, cars illegally using the bus lane, etc) and there aren't spare buses and drives spread across the transit district to quickly take place of any that break down, get a flat, etc.

I've found in using transit that it is the not knowing when the next bus/train will arrive and why it is off schedule that is most annoying. If I have the information about the duration of the delay, it is still annoying but at least then I can decide if I want to find some other means of transportation or do something else useful with my time until the vehicle arrives.

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[info]surrey_sucks
2008-07-05 08:00 pm UTC (link)
Yes, it is not realistic for everyone to have a fancy high-tech gadget.

I've found in using transit that it is the not knowing when the next bus/train will arrive and why it is off schedule that is most annoying. If I have the information about the duration of the delay, it is still annoying but at least then I can decide if I want to find some other means of transportation or do something else useful with my time until the vehicle arrives.

Exactly. I hate it when I wait and wait, hoping that the bus will come, afraid to leave after investing so much time in waiting, because you know that the moment you leave the bus stop, the bus will zoom past you. But sometimes you wait so long, that it would have been quicker to walk to your destination. Not knowing when the bus will come is so frustrating!

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[info]arwenoid
2008-07-05 08:18 pm UTC (link)
Who says you need a web enabled phone? We get scheduled information now by phone, there's no reason that once they roll out the GPS tracking system that we won't get up to date details over the phone too. Everything that can be done now will still be able to be done -- text messaging, calling, internet, etc... you'll just get a better answer. :)

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[info]arwenoid
2008-07-05 07:55 pm UTC (link)
They're working on it. It's in testing now. It's actually a pretty cool little system. :)

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[info]mightyfastpig
2008-07-06 01:08 am UTC (link)
You can get transit info with a non-web capable phone. Text the 5-digit code on the bus stop to 33333 and you'll get the next 6 arrivals with times. Not 100% accurate, but it's there.

That said, I agree that Translink or Coast Mountain could be much better managed. I saw three #20 buses today in a row.

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[info]surrey_sucks
2008-07-07 04:45 am UTC (link)
It would cost me money to send a text.

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[info]cyanide420
2008-07-08 02:05 am UTC (link)
this happens all the time out in maple ridge...the buses won't come when they are supposed to and then...oh look! three in a row?!? wtf...and it happens waaaay more then it should.

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[info]eleventytw0
2008-07-06 06:50 pm UTC (link)
Then there was one time when I saw 3 97s arrive at the same stop..

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[info]arwenoid
2008-07-07 06:45 pm UTC (link)
Yeah, because it's transit's fault that traffic is fucked...

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