Wanna Faster Bus Ride?

Driver champions transit change

by Andrew Jeromsky

As a bus driver I am occasionally asked if I know of anything that can be done to speed up bus service in our region. There are physical as well as political obstacles. The four most common factors affecting trip speed are the time spent paying fare, route length, the number of bus stops on that route, and traffic conditions. The political considerations influence what changes will or will not be made.

PAYING FARE

One way to reduce the time boarding passengers spend at the fare box digging out change and figuring out how much to pay, would be to implement a flat fare all the time. If that flat fare were set in dollar increments, say $2.00 for adults, $1.00 for kids and Free for Seniors and the Disabled, paying the fare could be quicker. An even faster method of payment of course, is the bus pass, which can be purchased at a discount and is transferable. A new type of pass that is in the works is the "smart card". This will be a credit card that works by waving it in front of a reader on the fare box. Instead of purchasing a new pass every month or year, passengers would recharge their smart cards at ATMs. Another idea being considered is having a ticket dispenser at the bus stop. This would allow passengers to pay before they got on, just like other transit systems in America and around the world. Roving conductors would check for tickets at random on the busses.

ROUTE LENGTH AND NUMBER OF STOPS

In regards to the trip length, most local bus routes meander to some extent in order to accommodate the most passengers while still maintaining a reasonable schedule. It's a matter of service--reaching more people--vs. speed. The spacing and number of zones along the route present a similar problem. While fewer bus stops results in a faster trip, most riders would be loathe to eliminate their accustomed stop, so it again becomes a tug of war between convenience and faster travel. A few other options are adding service, truncating existing routes, and making more use of park and rides.

I can speak from experience that adding extra trips does not necessarily speed up service. Most busses are assumed to run on a particular schedule, and when the route begins to "run hot" (early) the driver has to pull over and lay for time. In cases when the trips are scheduled close together and the first coach is delayed by traffic or loading a wheelchair etc., it begins to pick up passengers waiting for the next coach, and so it begins to run later and later.

This problem can sometimes be alleviated by adding two shorter routes to a trip that was traditionally served by only one. Each bus travels just half the distance and makes half of the stops served by the former single route.

Park and Rides are another option for a fast trip downtown. From a suburban Park and Ride situated near freeway express lanes, it's possible to catch a very quick bus to downtown, unless of course the freeway is jammed.

TRAFFIC

In my opinion the best way to consistently reduce travel times without impacting convenience would be the addition of transit-only lanes throughout the city on the major arterials and on the freeways during rush hours. A few years ago, when traffic was light enough, I could deadhead (drive an empty bus) from the Lynnwood Park and Ride back to downtown in about twenty minutes. With the addition of transit-only lanes and freeway bus stops this could be a reality for every passenger trip.

There are several precedents for this idea. Exclusive transit ways are used or under construction in Honolulu, Eugene, Boston, Miami, Houston and Pittsburgh, as well as the cities of Quito in Ecuador and Rouen in France. In Seattle there are a few assorted arterial lanes dedicated to transit. There could be many more.

Another upcoming precedent in the Seattle area is HOT (high occupancy toll) lanes project. The project involves getting interested commuters to pay to use some High Occupancy Vehicle (carpool) lanes. The amount they pay is determined by traffic sensors and a transponder on the car that relays information about lane speeds and charges you according to how much faster your commute is. Opponents charge that selling traffic rights favors the wealthy. If those lanes were instead used exclusively by busses, that would favor citizens who are already helping to reduce traffic. After all, they deserve to be rewarded.

While some of the biggest advantages to riding the bus include saving money on gas, parking and maintenance, it never includes saving time. Imagine instead being able to shave 1/2 to 1 hour off your commute every day. That might be possible if we had many more transit-only lanes.

BUREAUCRACY AND LIGHT RAIL

It is necessary to the operation of any large agency to have a staff capable of dealing with the expectations of the clientele as well as the day to day maintenance of the infrastructure. Redundancies are built into any large public works in the form of overlapping departments. This structure, while cumbersome, ensures adequate representation of all interests in the county. Change is slow, as approval is needed from many different department heads, councils and committees. This is why precedents and past practices are so important to working around the red tape. It streamlines a cumbersome process as much as possible.

Unfortunately, in King County most of the money that could have gone to a Bus Rapid Transit program is being used to build Light Rail. Light Rail is like a bus line that can never change its route.

One of the major trade-offs for the high cost of light rail was that it was supposed to be faster. But right now, the Seattle downtown airport bus route 194 gets to SeaTac airport faster than the projected arrival time of the still unbuilt Light Rail link! Sound Transit is being supported by special interest groups and is subsidized by taxpayers. The underlying problem is that public relations agencies are trying to put a good face on a bad investment. See www.effectivetransportation.org for more information.

I have always been dismayed that the local bus agencies didn't stand up to light rail and declare that busses are the cost effective, proven solution to gridlock, not a train line costing billions. The cost of freeway signage, advertisement and enforcement for a transit-only lane might have run into the low millions instead of the billions of dollars being funneled into light rail. Bus Rapid Transit is the most viable means of speeding up your commute. Urban areas are under pressure to find solutions to traffic congestion, so the time is ripe. By taking advantage of the current trends and spearheading transit-only lanes, especially during the rush hour, we can reduce gridlock woes.

If you want a faster commute you must let your views be known. Citizens should contact the key decision makers. To contact Governer Christine Gregoire--who oversees the regional transportation commision and appoints the director of the Department of Transportation--go to www.governor.wa.gov. A Google or Yahoo search can find the websites of your local county officials, transit agencies and newspapers. If you get involved you can make the bus systems run faster and save your region money.

Andrew Jeromsky drives Metro busses in King County. He is also a shop steward in the bus driver's union there.