The Bus Bench

More TAP Crap: Is Metro Fabricating Answers About TAP Card Failure?

On July 1st, several thousand Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) students may have been affected in what may well be the TAP Pass program's greatest failure to date, owing to a software update that was not uploaded in time for the student TAP cards issued by the nine campuses that comprise LACCD. Numerous inquiries to Metro and Metro TAP management personnel went unanswered.

Was The MetroLink Board at Union Station Hacked?

While traveling through Union Station last Saturday, 21 June 2009, a Bus Bencher captured some footage of what appeared to be a computer hacking of MetroLink arrival/departure board. We cannot be sure, but it was odd. And did it mean to imply Bob Dobbs of the Subgenious Foundation with "Bob Says Hi"? Did the hacker mean to invoke the famous World War II phrase, "Kilroy was here" with "Kelsy was here"? After all, both icons' names are known for appearing in bizarre places, such as inside school pencil sharpeners and on enemy pill boxes prior to invasions during WWII.

Was MetroLink Board at Union Station Hacked?

If anyone can clear up this little mystery, we would sure like to hear from you.

Blue Line Derailed While Metro Pick-up Trucks Travel The Red Line

 This has been a very busy week.

The Bus Bench was preoccupied with larger art projects (that will come to fruition in late 2009 and early 2010). Massive state tax cuts courtesy of Arnold and Co. were making their way south like a tsunami starved, albeit for southern California. The Los Angels Police Department and Los Angles County Sheriff Department managed to forget all the past riots round the Staples Center when the Lakers played. (Where the hell were the protectors of civility while people blatantly pitched steel garbage cans at passing trains even as Associated Press photographers blatantly recorded the events? Were Baca's brownshirts too busy handing out citations to those attempting to interpret the confusing TAP pass crap?) But a few BusBenchers were underground while the lazy constabulary allowed the sports eruptions to derail the Blue Line and sever every north-south bus line in downtown.

Pershing Square Protest to be held Sunday Morning, 07 June

According to the blogs NYC Photo Rights and Discarted, the National Photographers' Rights Organization will host a protest at Pershing Square near the Metro Red Line station. The intent is to publicise the harassment of photographers on the Red Line, a problem which has come to a head and continues to be a problem stemming from Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies.

NPRO Rally: Sunday, June 7th at 11:30 a.m.
Pershing Square, corner of S. Hill and W. 5th Streets
Los Angeles, CA 90013

You know that Bus Benchers will be in attendance.

Blast from The Past: Metermaid Motor "Mishap"

In late 2005, I was touring through Venice when I happened upon this three-way collision involving TWO meter maids' motor vehicles. One metermaid had rear-ended a private vehicle and a second meter maid-mobile was somehow involved. (Calls to LADOT failed to gain any information, of course.)

Two Bus Benches Nearly Hit Last Week-End

Readers of Los Angeles-based blogs will know there is olde news in the disclosure of the motor vehicle that went out of control on Figueroa south of 7th Street last Saturday morning. The bus bench at the corner was narrowly avoided by the driver, whose vehicle slammed into the Bank of America building on the SE corner of Fig and 7th. The CBS/Decaux billboard was side-swiped, a metal embellishment on the BofA building was broken and a few windows were smashed.

Keeping L.A. Fuming: Jimmy Price, Head Meter Maid, says "Screw You, L.A.!"

When not gloating about how he's screwing you, your mom and most anyone who must take to the road in Los Angeles (and those who go Metro are no less affected, natch), head meter maid Jimmy Price is enjoying his scores of ill-gotten revenue. We hope to help change that.

Barriers Being Installed on Blue Line

Before the rain was slated to start, we took a trip on the Blue Line this morning. Our intention was to get a status report on the barriers that Metro promised to erect on Blue Line platforms in the wake of the unnecessary death of Cameron Cuthbertson, who was blind and stepped between two cars before being dragged south along the elevated rail line. 

Metro promised that the installations would begin in May, and we are glad they have. (Our morning tour only allowed us to observe the platforms between 7th/Metro and Del Amo, the latter station being where Mr. Cuthberston met his gory demise.) We found that of the stations visited this morning (14 of the 22 along the Blue Line), only Del Amo had barriers on both sides and Artesia had barriers only on the uptown side (to Los Angeles). The remainder of the stations visited, from Compton north to 7th/Metro, remain bereft of barriers.

We hope that they see to finishing the job quickly. 

-The Bus Bench

Art Leahy is Back Aboard

Metro CEO Art Leahy was forced back on board—or so we firmly believe—and yet at The Bus Bench feel that this is a good thing. (We wonder why Roger was so quick to leave, and then leave even earlier than announced. Was it the AIG screw-up? A political conflict regarding AnsaldoBreda and Tony V's insistence on that no-bid scandal? The Measure R promises? The forthcoming Faregate fiasco? That if Mr. Leahy refused the position, he would have no future with MTA seeing as MTA's umbrella covers OCTA—where Mr. Leahy was so recently CEO?) (IF Los Angeles mayor tony villaraigosa had any backbone, he would have one of his little boys answer certain questions.)

Cheesy Feet on The Shame Train

We are not sure why it is so, but there has been of late a sudden surge of some rather disgusting straphanger/bus rider behaviour on Metro. 

ShitStainedSandals_RedLine

Transit Gifts for Dad and Hip Grads

While we have been somewhat silent on-line, The Bus Bench has been rather active getting some larger stories ready regarding ex-Metro CEO Roger Snoble, the Great AnsaldoBreda Train Robbery and CMM (Chief Meter Maid) Jimmy Price and his parking meter minions.

But for this weekend, a bit of fun with transit-related toys:

Dale Earnheardt, Jr.
Tiffany Table Lamp

Dale Earnheardt, Jr.
Tiffany Floor Lamp

   

Snoop Dogg
Limited Edition
Bike Trike

-BusTard

At Metro, Will The Beat Go On?

We at The Bus Bench, having observed for well more than a decade the errant, unprofessional and occasionally unlawful actions and behaviour of every constabulary and force protection agency employed by Metro (neé MTA) and OCTA, do hope that the new Metro CEO, Art Leahy, (whose extensive career with RTD—now Metro—and OCTA grants him considerable experience to undo the many problems that make Metro miserable at times) will help Metro do the right thing. Mr. Leahy recently released a statement regarding the unfolding scandal regarding Metro security guards—whereby several incidents of unwarranted assault have been under investigation by the Los Angeles County Sheriff (LASD), for at least two years—stating that "of about a dozen complaints. . . in the past two years. . . a third of the complaints are against the two officers who have been disciplined." It is good that Mr. Leahy is moving quickly, as it appears the LASD has done little to stop the problem on their beat.

We were on vacation.

The Bus Bench went on vacation to come back just in time for some slight mother earth shaking on the Blue Line. When the conductor announced the train would be going slow owing to the tremor, possibly getting off the train would have been a good idea,  but I was too lazy.

BusTard told me the LA Times did a story on the MTA rent-a-cops choking people. Don't they have video down there. Oh I forgot those cameras are to make sure the property stays safe.

I also didn't notice any barriers on the Blue Line yet, maybe today.

Browne

How I hate thee, let me count the ways...

*sigh* Taking public transportation in LA is a severe headache, and sometimes a severe stabbing. Friday night under the guise of a full moon, my ex boyfriend was attacked by some young mumbling-crazy man who spit a lougie on him FIRST before attacking him with a homemade nail shank. Now he's okay, his wounds are mostly defensive but the question I have is why, why, WHY do busdrivers insist on letting crazy people on the bus, for FREE. It's bad enough I have to deal with their stench but now I have to deal with them yelling and a'spitting and a'stabbing. What's the world coming to these days? I understand being altruistic and understanding but at the cost of my safety? My paid busfare safety? They won't let me bring my bike on the back of the bus when the racks are full at the front, but they'll let a crazy man smelling of piss and anger and mental instability in? What gives?

Mika

Bananas! Edith Abeyta and Nickolas Klemek

With whiskey and home-brewed beer at the door and a slew of "liability bananas" strewn across the floor, we were waiting for the inevitable to occur. It never did, but that did not prevent a couple of Bus Benchers from having fun at the reception for Bananas: The Exhibition.

After having arrived at Union Station breathlessly from running across most of the intersection of Cesar Chavez and N. Vignes—despite the red lights and LAPD copper presence—and caught Metro line 445 just as it was pulling up for the 30 seconds it would sit before departing, to San Pedro.

It was a show about bananas. I mean seriously. I was looking very hard for dirty messages, nothing. Edith Abeyta silk screen felt "liability bananas" scattered on the floor tripped no one and her and ceramics sculptures and vials of plantains and bananas contained no drugs or condoms.

"They are consumable safe," said Edith of the plaintain vial that I purchased.

Nickolas her comrade in art is quite mad. He uses traditional pen and paper. No gimmick. No pretentions.

Do you know how hard it is to be in LA and have a show about bananas and do hundreds of drawings of bananas without any sexual undertones (and BusTard and I were looking hard, we  have extremely dirty minds) or Andy Warhol Velvet Underground references?

The new irony is no irony. The Banana show in its non smart ass, no bullshit take on the subject of the banana was a breath of the fresh air. That’s a clichéd way to describe it, but I’m having a real hard time with this upfront thing. My brain is tired with having to actual think without the smear of smarmiassholeness that permeates so many art shows nowadays.

It was quite refreshing, but nothing dirty to see here kids, though it was a little bit bananas.

Bananas_09May2009

-The Bus Bench

76 and tHE POWERRr

We here at The Bus Bench possess a bizarre sense of humour, having grown up in other parts of the world, and so we appreciate odd stuff done deliberately albeit with a taste of seemingly coincidence. And so it is that we make for a fun weekend by posting these two videos of the Metro 76 along Main in Lincoln Heights.

76_Line_THE_POWERRR_01_April_2009

76_Line_THE_POWERRR_17_April_2009

Where's the coincidence? One might ask. Right here.

-BusTard

Metro Super Pizza Party!

Last Friday, round rush hour, I was looking forward to getting home on my last bus line. But I was intrigued by a Metro supervisor's SUV parked in the bus zone on Main at Daley. The emergency lights were on, but there was no one around, so I waited. Although I missed a couple of busses, I just had to know what was happening. Hungry for a story (and who ain't hungry?), I got the camera rolling and hoped to get some decent footage before the next Metro rolled by.

MetroSuperPizzaPartyEXCERPTS

Those "CA Exempt" license plates come in handy when one's hungry, hm?

-BusTard

Another TAP Sign

 

To be fair BusTard, Metro doesn't write the "No Tap" signs in crayon anymore.

-Browne

Metro Los Angeles Why wait in Line? Buy Passes Online! Or Else Just Wait, and Wait, and Wait. . .

Can't wait for, well, who am I fooling? That's all one can do, but wait—whether on line or for one's TAP pass to arrive in the mail after ordering it on-line. One might imagine that the queue at Metro's Union Station ticket office is intentionally understaffed. . .

Get_Your_TAP_No_Lest_You_Still_Be_In_Line_Tomorrow

-BusTard

Metro's Tip of The Day: Stay Home!

Apparently the WHO's pandemic alert this morning prompted Metro to make sure that it's straphangers remain safe. Although one might still have problems regarding how to use a TAP card—and the one thing to remember is to TAP before AND after paying when paying at a Metro rail station; TAP only AFTER paying when boarding a bus and do not get your TAP card too near until AFTER paying; do not put money in a fare box on the bus when someone is TAPping a TAP card; that paper passes are not available on the bus; that weekly passes in ANY fashion are no longer available, and that tokens are a waste of time because they offer no discount (easy, eh?)—Metro wasted no time getting the ball rolling on advice on how not to spread swine flu.

Metro_TipOfTheDay

Not you hand! Stay home! and Do not ride skateboards in the subway

-BusTard