Knee Jerk Reaction To Debut Of Select Bus Service
Yesterday marked the debut of Select Bus Service on the Bx12. The goal of the service is to cut travel time by up to 20% by implementing such measures as letting passengers pay before boarding, allowing entrance to the bus via the front & back doors, dedicated bus lanes, traffic signal priority, & more.
All of these things sound great but as one would expect, the first day displayed some kinks. Unfortunately there are people already saying this won’t work. Jenny Merkin of the New York Daily News has the story:
Many Bronx bus riders were baffled Sunday by a new pay-before-boarding pilot program designed to speed up trips.
“This is not a good system,” said Anna Rivera, 53, of the Bronx, who accidentally wound up paying twice before boarding the Bx12 at Fordham Plaza on the first day of the Select Bus Service.
The new system will get its biggest test during Monday’s morning and evening rush.
Machines set up at stops along the route let commuters pay with a MetroCard or cash. Riders must carry receipts, to be checked at random, or face $60 fines.
Riders can board at the front or back, and there are signal controls that delay lights to allow buses to pass – a plan designed to cut travel time by up to 20%.
How ridiculous can people be in saying the program won’t work after only running for less then a day? This is is what’s wrong nowadays with our ridership. They want a better commute in terms of improved service, cleanliness, etc…. yet when the MTA attempts to facilitate these requests, they come down on them. The riding public needs to stop with the knee jerk reactions due to a problem they might have encountered.
I would love to hear from anyone who tested out the new service yesterday.
xoxo Transit Blogger
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[…] dedicated travel lanes and traffic signal priority.” The service initially debuted to knee jerk reactions by a select few but for the most part was well received by transit advocates & […]