Oy gevault! Like Larry David with a hooker in a car full of marijuana on the way to a Lakers game when all he wanted was to make Dad happy, Metro's guilt appears to be gushing overtime for all the wrong reasons. (That scene was shot within sight of One Gateway to boot.)
Although no one asked, Metro answered by claiming to have interviewed nearly 16,000 passengers to find that the "Overwelming Majority of Riders Are Satisfied With Metro Bus and Rail Service." (Apparently Metro was in such a rush to announce these fantastic findings that the whind was knocked out of "Overwelming.") Were you one of the many thousands of strap-hangers or bus-riders interviewed? Are you not a Metro employee or an employee of a company or nabe council? On the other hand, are you a Metro employee or contractor and answered Metro's survey? (We maintain strict confidence, as may be seen with too damn many previous posts.) If yes to any of these questions, or if you simply wish to vent (and you know that The Bus Bench is the place to kvetch), The Bus Bench wants to hear from you.
-BusTard
I take the bus and train all of the time no one interviewed me!! I don't think these interviews even happened.
Posted by: browne | 09/20/2009 at 07:50 AM
Where did they get those 16,000 people? In fact, where do you find 16,000 people who are willing to talk to a stranger who comes up to them on the bus. I'd also like to survey people who find the busses so onerous that they don't use them.
Come survey me on Balboa Blvd, or Saticoy St., and ask me whether one hour headways are sufficient to satisfy me.
Come survey me at Leconte and Gayley while I wait for the #2 to come in from the PCH. Ask me if I like the frequency and reliability of that line.
Posted by: Ed Greenberg | 09/20/2009 at 09:09 AM
Metro I don't know who The Applied Management and Planning Group is, but I use the trains and busses throughout LA County from the south, west and east and I didn't even see anyone getting interviewed, Ed is our northern rep, he didn't see crapola. We've got to know where did these surveys take place? I would email you and ask, but you'll probably just lie and say you don't know like the last time I called you.
And if you haven't noticed you misspelled overwhelming. Is Metro is losing so much money owing to fare evasion that they can no longer afford spell check?
How can we trust an agency that can't even spell seventh grade level words in a press release that they took the time to put on their company website.
Maybe "overwelming" is some obnoxious British spelling that someone forgot to tell me about, but I'm asking my British friend and he's saying no, it's just some stupid American can't spell thing.
Browne
Posted by: Browne | 09/20/2009 at 09:32 AM
WHAT?! I've been riding LA Metro for 17 years. The only people who've ever come up to me are pushy mormans. Come survey me on a sunday when buses are running once an hour & I have to get up extra early just to get to work on time.
Posted by: blue demon | 09/21/2009 at 07:22 PM
The reality is probably somewhere between the Bus Rider Union's survey and Metro's survey. The quality of service in LA County really depends on where you are and where you are going to. Going downtown? It's a transit wonderland. Live in SFV and nowhere near the Orange Line? It will probably suck and you will probably drive, according to some of my friends.
You can't please everyone.
Posted by: Spokker | 09/21/2009 at 10:45 PM
Why does Metro always feel the need to pat themselves on the back for a job NOT done. With all the ads that say Metro is FANTASTIC, GO METRO and now this "survey"
Posted by: Erik | 09/23/2009 at 01:10 PM
Who are these 16000 riders!? Metro could have easily "interviewed" some of us transit bloggers for some very honest opinions.
Posted by: Rosemary | 09/23/2009 at 11:32 PM
Wait they didnt interview Monroe High School students who take the 166 Westbound when they are dismissed from school? What a shame, they would tell you that they wait more than 50 minutes before they get on the bus since waiting time only has 2 full buses before they got on a bus. Plus here is the thing that sucks about it its around the afternoon when the sun just pierces on your anger level. Nice try Metro!!!!!
Posted by: 420 PC - Downtown LA | 09/26/2009 at 01:35 PM
Speaking of special busses for schoolchildren and the folks who wait for the "regular" alternate lines, I am curious if Metro sought those who wait along Melrose (when the 10—which also usta have the 11 along that—goes by in pairs loaded with school children) or Daley, when the 251 goes passes up owing to it bearing only school kids.
Don't get me wrong; I have no problem with Metro providing a bone to the school kids (especially when Metro provides nearly $1 billion in free car services to private motor vehicle owners via freeway towing services and the like), but there are loads of people waiting to get home after a hard day's work who wait up to an hour every weekday.
I am still waiting to hear from JUST ONE of the nearly 17,000 Metro passengers that Metro allegedly interviewed. Waiting on a Metro bus grants me a lot of time, you know.
Posted by: Randall BusTard | 09/27/2009 at 03:40 PM