From: mjvande@pbhye.PacBell.COM (Mike Vandeman)
Subject: "User Friendly" Transit
Organization: Pacific * Bell
Date: Sun, 3 Jan 1993 03:29:50 GMT
Followup-To: sci.environment

                                          January 2, 1993
A/C Transit Board of Directors
c/o John Woodbury
1600 Franklin
Oakland, California 94612

BART Board of Directors
c/o Sherman Lewis
800 Madison Street
Oakland, California 94607

Re: Service Improvement Ideas

Gentlepersons:

     I hope that all Board members and employees of A/C Transit and
BART are regular riders of the buses and trains. Ideally, they
should not own an automobile, because I think that only when one is
truly dependent on transit is one sufficiently motivated to work to
make it as useful as possible.

     For long trips within the Bay Area, of course, I use BART. It
is more comfortable than the bus, has more frequent service, and is
generally on time. (Because we allow cars to compete on the same
roadway with our buses, the buses cannot ever have an accurate,
fast schedule.) That leaves short trips to the bus. However, for
short trips (e.g. to downtown Berkeley or Oakland) where I must
arrive at a certain time, the bus may be unreliable (I may not have
the latest schedule; it is nearly impossible to always have the
latest schedule, since I don't ride every line regularly, and the
driver doesn't always carry them). To avoid being late, I have to
take an earlier bus than the optimal one, which makes the trip
rather long. In short, I often prefer to bicycle, rather than take
the bus. Having more frequent service would help considerably.
Since I am on the Transportation Commission of the City of
Berkeley, perhaps I can help find the funds to do that. Frequent
service makes the bus almost as convenient as a car -- makes it
less necessary to think hard to plan every trip.

     While riding the bus, it is often impossible to tell where we
are, especially after dark (e.g. on College Ave. between Webster
and Alcatraz). I could ask the driver to tell me when I get to my
stop, but I hate to bother them, and they might forget. I ride the
bus partly because I can read while travelling (which I can't do
while bicycling or driving!). In order to read effectively, I have
to concentrate on what I am reading, and not be constantly thinking
about where the bus is and where my stop is. Or I might want to
sleep! These are just a few of the advantages of transit over
driving. I would like to see you take advantage of, and advertize,
all of these advantages.

     What is the solution? Please put all your brains to work on
this. In Japan, the buses have a recording that the driver can
activate to announce each stop. Not only do they announce the
upcoming stop, but the recording can also announce many other local
attractions, such as the libraries, train and bus terminals, and
other public buildings, or even popular shopping places (for a fee,
I would hope). On the other hand, maybe it would be preferable to
have peace and quiet while riding the bus (especially for those who
want to sleep -- and why shouldn't a bus ride be as useful and
enjoyable as possible?).

     I would like to see beepers available (or perhaps embedded in
the seats) that a rider could use to get an automatic announcement
when their stop is imminent. A beeper that vibrates, rather than
beeps, would be ideal, so that other passengers would not be
disturbed. This would also make it more useful to the disabled. An
onboard computer would have to be available. When a passenger wants
to use the service, they would take a beeper and enter its number
in the computer (or enter a seat number, if the beeper were in the
seat), and then select the stop where they want to be beeped. Then
they could confidently sleep, read, or do whatever else they wish,
without having to worry and pay attention only to where they are
going to get off. (This would be even more useful on BART, where
many people travel long distances and like to sleep till they get
there.)

     Another possibility is an electronic display screen that could
contain the same information, for those who are deaf, or for people
who prefer not to hear frequent announcements. It could easily
display not just the next stop, but the next few stops, and which
trains and buses can be caught at those stops. It could also easily
display the correct time, date, and other useful information, such
as building opening and closing times. The sky is the limit!

     There are many other things that would make transit use more
attractive. Since many people like to read, to make the best use of
their time on the bus or BART, perhaps reading material could be
made available, such as magazines and newspapers. I would like to
see BART have a lounge car that sells snack foods and has plastic
or wooden seats that are cleanable. Judging from the number of
people who eat on BART, I think it would be very popular. Most
people seem to have very little free time. Anything that would
allow them to make good use of the time they are travelling would
make transit more valuable and attractive. If a snack car would
allow them to grab a bite to eat while on the way from work to an
evening meeting or other event, they would be more likely to use
it. We all know how hard it is getting to get around quickly, find
parking and a place to eat, etc.

     Another thing that would greatly help is to train bus drivers
in how to handle the bus for maximum passenger comfort. Some
drivers (I notice this mostly on BART express buses) seem to think
that their only job is to go from point A to point B as quickly as
possible! I have been on rides where I had to spend most of the
time holding on or looking to see why the driver had to stop
suddenly. Needless to say, one can't do much sleeping, reading, or
even relaxing under such circumstances.

     If you "brainstorm" these topics, I am sure that you can come
up with much better ideas than mine. The important thing is that
you do it, and that you let your passengers know that you are open
to their ideas and in fact are actively seeking their input. There
should be customer suggestion boxes, prominently displayed, on all
vehicles and in all stations. It should be possible to write a
suggestion, or criticize a driver's actions, without having to go
to the trouble to write a formal letter, put postage on it, and
take it to a mailbox. BART station masters who have little to do
(or other employees), and yet refuse to accept suggestions, seem to
me an anachronism (or maybe an unwelcome modernism!).

                                   Sincerely,


                                   Michael J. Vandeman, Ph.D.          
                                   Alliance for a Paving Moratorium
                                   Auto-Free Bay Area
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