Comments on Par 48

Outside of buses: covered with advertisements for events that real people want to attend, and for items that real people might want to purchase.

Inside of buses: spottily covered with two-year-old placards for Bus Maintenance Employee of the year.

This alone is a strong indicator of the two separate universes.

Finally someone at the Stranger experienced what the rest of us on Slog have been bitching about. Metro SUCKS!! And they do not listen to individual complaints. Can the Stranger (who has some ties in Seattle, we think) hold a town hall meeting with Metro and us poor bus riders and have at it?

Seriously, busses that are never cleaned, never show up, and driver's who in large part obviously could not care less. Can we get something going? And yeah, Ron Simms and the mayor lard ass should be there too. (I know Metro is not Nickels concern but he should be talked to about public transit as well)

Agreed. The 48 is the worst. I caught it every day for 2 years and it would never be on time. When I started coming to the stop a couple minutes later to compensate it would begin arriving early. One day I waited 45 minutes (when they came every 15) and was so fed up I called to complain. When I finally got a hold of someone the next day (there is no way to complain after 5pm) I was assured that the buses in question were NOT late and had made every check point on time. Bull!!

Also be on the look out for the driver who looks like Shaun Kemp and chews a straw. He has closed his doors on my girlfriend, refused to speak to me when I informed him the bell was broken (the bus was at a stop) and looked me in the eye and laughed as I ran to catch his early bus.
The time to rise up is now!! End Metro's reign of terror!

@1 interesting observation. telling.

This would be a great article!

What performance stats does Metro track? Are they public records? What do the numbers show? What plans does Metro have already in place for addressing the pockets of poor performance that must crop up?

Oh God, I've waited forever for a #48 so many times (southbound at 23rd & Madison) -- long enough to see three, sometimes even four #48s go by in the opposite direction. Maybe Metro should consider splitting that route up like they did with the #7/49?

"We’ll Get You There" reminds me of the slogan SEPTA (Philly's mass transit system) had in the 1990s:

"We're Getting There"

Talk about low expectations.

For most of last year I'd wait at 23rd and Republican hoping to catch either the 43 or the 48, both would take me to work and school in the U-district. Almost every day the 48 was off schedule. I'd check the posted schedule against my cell phone, against other bus-rider's watches... the bus was almost always late.

To top off that irritating fact, the 48 frequently stacks up. There will be two, three, sometimes even four bus #48s rolling down 23rd Ave E. The one in front is invariably packed like a sardine tin, the ones behind it mostly empty. Sometimes the drivers will understand that they're leading a train and so will pass people waiting at stops, to allow the following bus, any of them, to pick them up. But that's not usually the case.

Coming home in the evenings is usually better. There are still the occasional stacks of buses, but they're much less common than in the morning.

the best transit slogan of all time has to be Whatcom County of a few years ago.
"New Directions" (say it fast)

Domonic: Thanks for this post. The fucking bus sucks for anyone who actually needs to be places at certain times. If you're homeless, retired and/or too old/injured to walk, it's great. For everyone else, it's often useless.

And speaking of the not-so-abled: Isn't there something better than those stupid ramps that lower down--at a painfully slow rate--to pick people up who can't handle the stairs? Does the technology not exist for something faster and less fucking annoying?

muckfetro has made me laugh many times in the matter of seconds it has taken to read his posts. I love him/her.

@10,

I've found that the ramps, not the lifts, are a lot faster. Unfortunately, Metro apparently uses those older buses, with the annoying, painfully slow lifts, until they fall apart.

They also need to do something about all their ridiculously long routes, such as the 48. It's fine to run a bus on an eight-mile route if it's traveling on Aurora or I-5, but running a route that long on city streets ought to be a crime.

I'm confused about Metro on first avenue on the weekends -- I waited forever for the 18 to Ballard, and finally asked a driver of a metro bus that said it was the shuttle (to where, it didn't say) and he said no busses were running below seneca on first. When I asked how one would know that, he shrugged.

I get that I might have found that out from the trip planner, but I never would have guessed to check for that sort of thing.

The same thing happens in Ballard -- the route changes randomly. Plus busses don't come, two come at the same time, they come early, they come late, and during commute hours the 18 is often packed so tightly that your face is pressed against the front window and you become intimate friends with total strangers.

We'll get you there ...how and at what time? Hard to say.

The 24 sucks too. It's ALWAYS late. ALWAYS!

I hate the bus. HATE HATE HATE HATE!

Most governments are complaint-based. Keep complaining.

Matthew,

Actually there is. Many of the newer non-articulated buses use a hydrolic system that lowers the entire bus down to sidewalk level so that disabled passengers can just step on board, rather than having to go up steps or use the elevator lifts. They take about 1/10 the time as the older lifts, and the entire bus just raises back up to running level and is on its way again in a matter of seconds.

My guess is you'll see more of these come on-line as the older buses are replaced.

As for the 48, my experience has been that the "stack ups" frequently occur in the mornings on the northbound routes when there are scads of UW students, faculty & staff trying to get to campus. I'm not sure exactly how the route allocations work, but I always figured the stack ups occured at times that fell in between class schedules, like on the quarter hours, when the number of passengers would drop off considerably, but that the buses were kept on-route because they'd fill up again as students taking later classes boarded. Then the stacking reverses to the southbound routes in the afternoons when students start going home.

As for the relative lateness of the 48, I've personally never run into it as an on-going issue, although admittedly there are times when the buses do seem to get off-schedule, again especially in the mornings going toward the U District when classes are in-session, but I don't think I've ever had to wait at any of the stops around 23rd & E Union more than about 10 minutes past the scheduled time, which doesn't seem that bad for such a high-traffic route.

I have complained a few times this year about poor service, but with no response from Metro. Even when I specifically ask for a response. I've been told they receive so many complaints these days, they can't possibly get back to complainants.

I guess we just have to HOPE our complaints are not falling into a Black Hole somewhere....

i went to the Mariners game yesterday and I had remembered that last year they had a free Metro bus take you from Safeco to 2nd and Pike. Then I rode it last week and it was a dollar, not a big deal. When I went on it last night, the bus driver told everyone AFTER we boarded that the fare was $2.00, even though the sign said $1.00. SO the first stop was first and Seneca and all the toursts paid their $2.00 without complaining and got off the bus. At 2nd and Pike where I got off, I asked the bus driver "How much is the fare?". He looked at me and smiled and said "One dollar."....seriously, all this money that Metro made off of one baseball game (and that buss was packed to the brim) and the system still sucks.

Katie @ 18:

Considering how many free-loaders don't pay anything when they get on/off the bus, I'd say that's just Metro's way of picking up for their slack.

And, even though it seems like sort of a mean stunt to pull, it's difficult for me to work up much sympathy for all those sheeple who blindly paid the extra fare without either bothering to read the sign or question the driver, as you did.

Buses would theoretically be a cheaper more flexible alernative than light rail, but only if they were predictable and reliable. They are neither.

COMTE's right. All you snobs who claim that Metro buses are late need to get over yourselves. And if the buses ever actually are late, there's an explanation. Believe me.

Anyway, it's time all you people stopped thinking like consumers and started treating this proud institution that Metro like the authority that it is.

Warning: Since SLOG is a satire-free zone, all attempts at satire must be explicitly labeled as such.

Warning of inevitable response: Hey cressona, your pathetic attempt at satire sucks.

Canned reply: Well, muckfetro was funnier, I'll agree.

@7, Philly's slogan is still, "SEPTA, We're getting there." as in getting close to maybe getting you there in a rude, filthy and expensive way.

their alternate slogan is: "SEPTA, serious about (taking your) change." parentheses added by city residents.

"We'll get you there"

Note they don't say WHEN, and in reality, sometimes it's never.

My girlfriend gets off work at midnight and has to take two buses to get home. She regularly is forced to take a (very expensive) cab (that we can hardly afford) because one or the other of her buses doesn't show up at all.

If the first one doesn't show up or is late, she won't be there to catch the second one on time, and that is the last bus of the night.

"We'll get you there", yeah right, if the last bus of the night doesn't show up you are fucked. Especially nice of metro to leave women strranded in downtown at 1AM.

In addition to it totally sucking that you can't rely on "We'll get you there" Metro to actually show up, it's totally lame that the last buses are around one in the morning. Wouldn't it be a good idea to have the buses still running when the bars get out? Sure, I doubt the bus drivers like the idea of the intoxicated and likely loud people getting on their buses (more than normal anyway), but it would provide an option other than drunk driving, and it would likely increase revenues for bars and nightclubs. People could CHOOSE to take a bus there and back instead of driving drunk if the buses were still running when the bars got out.

I'm sure other folks largely dependant on the bus system feel like we do- feel like CIndarella, because if we don't leave around midnight to catch the last buses home we will be stranded. Right about the time any part or show is just getting started.

World class city my ass.

Who is that smug little frat boy asshole on the Metro Website saying "We'll Get You There?" I bet he drives to work each and every day.

And @K X One, world class cities also do not have DAMN FUCKING CERAMIC PIGS ALL OVER THE PLACE!!! Next one of those I see I am taking a hammer to it!

K X One, let me channel my inner COMTE to give you a reasonable response. The delays your girlfriend claims to experience may be the result of late-night traffic disruptions. Also, Metro has a shortage of drivers, meaning that some buses may need to be be canceled, if a driver calls in sick.

However, in my personal experience, I've never had a problem catching a bus home after midnight. (OK, this is because I've never had to catch a bus home after midnight, but the statement is valid nonetheless.)

K X One, my best advice would be, has your girlfriend considered getting a job where she can get off at a more reasonable hour? I mean, any young woman hanging around downtown alone after midnight is really asking for trouble.

Best regards,
Your trusty Metro apologist

Cressona @ 21:

Sarcasm aside, my point was that while Metro may not be imperfect, it's still pretty darned reliable for an at-grade system with notably busy schedules, and their on-time stats in general aren't nearly as bad as many people seem to want to characterize it.

We live in a world of instant gratification, and for a lot of folks that boils down to, "I want my (X) NOW, Goddamnit!", regardless of whether that desire is practical, realistic, or even achieveable. Having their desire go unfulfilled for even a few minutes longer than what they deem acceptible merits torrents of invective, that frankly would probably be put to better use if directed at some issue of actual importance.

Which is not to say there aren't issues with the system, but considering Metro has an on-time performance rating (meaning buses are either on-time or no more than 5 minutes late to time-check stops) of more than 80% - in a region with some of the nation's worst traffic congestion, mind you - complaining about an occasional late or too early bus surely isn't the most pressing issue at which to direct one's wrath and ire, is it?

But then again, the old saw that "patience is a virtue" would certainly seem to be a truism, considering how few people manage to cultivate even the smallest bit of it.

Metro is developing into a two-tiered system; the express commuter buses are relatively clean, usually closer to on time, and have far fewer questionable passengers. But the milk-run buses, like the 48, 240, 7, et al., are horrible, horrible, HORRIBLE. The other day, I accidentally got on the milk-run bus from Federal Way instead of the express bus. Jesus, what a mistake. It got into town 45 minutes later than the express, which left FWTC 15 minutes after it, and the trip itself was nightmarishly bad; every recently-stopped-taking-their-meds and questionable-hygiene individual in south county was on that damned thing at some point. Oh yeah, and the can't-say-a-damned-thing-below-200-decibels teenagers, too. And the I-speak-fluent-Tourette's crowd. For two buses that end up at the same place, the difference between the two trips is night and day.

Your point is valid, COMTE -- city folk could be a bit more patient and we should be grateful that Metro runs periodically. But waiting for the 48 line could make Siddhartha start tapping his fingers. The previous two times I caught that bus, the same thing happened. So it's no anomaly for a bus in route 48's queue to go missing or run more than 30 minutes late. More to my point, though, Metro is pretty much fine with that.

Cato The Younger Younger @ 25 said:

"And @K X One, world class cities also do not have DAMN FUCKING CERAMIC PIGS ALL OVER THE PLACE!!! Next one of those I see I am taking a hammer to it!"

Right. Instead of pigs, REAL "World Class" cities have:

- Cows (Chicago)

- Apples (New York)

- Spirit Bears (Vancouver B.C.)

- Pandas (Washington D.C.)

- Moose (Toronto, Ont.)

- More Cows (London)

- Still MORE Cows (Milan, Marseille, Copenhagen)

- Lions (Jerusalem)

Well, you get the idea (links to these - and more, oh so many, many more - can be found at: http://publicartprojectsofamerica.com/links.htm

COMTE @27, you're absolutely right. We do live in an instant gratification society, and anyone who complains that riding Metro takes two or three or four times as long as driving alone needs to take a serious look in the mirror and ask themselves, "What the hell is the matter with me? Why am I in such a hurry?"

Y'know, COMTE, I think you're on to something. I think "Patience is a virtue" would make a great Metro slogan. On top of that, I think Metro riders need to start learning the meaning of the word "obedience." I wouldn't be against Metro publishing a Metro Rider's Code of Conduct.

Well, for what it's worth, here's my suggestion for Metro's new slogan. To paraphrase another truism, "If lateness is inevitable, you might as well lie back and enjoy it."

Geni @ 28:

I know! Isn't it just horrible that, like, these people, who obviously are so dirty/lazy/brain-damaged that they can't afford to DRIVE have to take up valuable space on mass public transit?

I mean, if we had MEANT for people like them to ride OUR buses, we would have put stops every couple of blocks, so they could get on and off on their way between their crack dealer and the Welfare Office, right?

All I can say is, thank goodness for fast, comfortable, safe express buses that only go from where us nice, productive, law-abiding folk live to our clean, air-conditioned offices downtown or in cozy industrial parks!

Just to build on what COMTE said @32...

Not only are a lot of these people who complain about Metro being "late" just a bunch of snotty, bourgeois elitists who would have to hose themselves down with hand sanitizer if they ever had to rub elbows with real working people, but... I can tell you a lot of these whiners have a personal vendetta against Metro. Perhaps at some point a bus driver rejected their romantic advances. Believe me, you wouldn't believe all the attention Metro drivers get from randy, lovestruck passengers.

Speaking of those milk-run buses, is there any reason why they have to stop every block or every other block? Would it kill Metro to standardize the amount of space between stops, let's say no less than three blocks?

You're absolutely spot-on, Cressona. And I'll just bet all those people who spend significant portions of their lives sitting alone in their cars in stand-still traffic on I-5 or 520 or 405 or I-90 during their 10 mile, hour-long twice-a-day commutes continuously pat themselves on the back as a reward for their ingenuity, prudence, and frugality!

Cressona, you're wrong; you ARE funnier than muckfetro. Thank you for puncturing Comte's suffocating haughtiness.

Comte, you kind of missed my point. My point was not how awful it is that "those people" ride the bus, it's that Metro is becoming two-tiered, with the commuter buses being closer to on time, better maintained, etc. They're abandoning the milk run routes to become mobile trashcans. There has to be some kind of middle ground. There has to be some way to make the milk run buses less unpleasant for everyone.

Geni,

I apologize for the snarky comment; obviously Cressona's "satirical" stylings have had a bad influence on me today.

I think the answer to your quandry is actually fairly simple, although perhaps not inexpensive; place more undercover transit and local police on routes to enforce the Code of Conduct to which Cressona previously (and apparently faceteously) alluded.

A lot of the objectionable behavior people endure on public transit is a direct result of the fact that drivers are essentially powerless to enforce the rules. So, the only realistic solution is to put someone on-board who CAN enforce them.

Obviously, it would be cost-prohibitive to post enforcers on every bus on every route, but surely Metro is aware of which routes have the most problems, and those would be good candidates for increasing random patrols. I don't think anyone would reasonably expect this to result in a total reduction of such behavior, but once word gets around that offenders WILL be dealt with if confronted, a lot of the problems will go away because of the sheer randomness of the enforcement - if people never know when or where the UC's might show up, many, perhaps even most, will err on the side of caution out of pure self-interest.

is http://www.busmonster.com no longer functioning? i could've sworn i remembered it having a feature that would show when the next bus was arriving in realtime, but i can't seem to get it to work.

If that website is a official Metro website, rumour has it they are revamping their site.

Part of my metro experience today:

Waited for a bus 21 in West Seattle for more than an hour. Saw three 21's go past me going northbound, two passed me going southbound with 'Terminal' or 'Base' on their signs.

The third bus 21 also had 'Terminal' on it's sign but the driver was kind enough to take me down to a stop where buses in addition the 21 were, and also gave me a new transfer as my more than an hour waiting meant that I wouldn't make it home before my transfer expired. I'm still stranded in West Seattle and have already waited an hour for a 21 to show up though.

I finally catch a bus to downtown after waiting for more than an hour and twenty minutes. This bus still isn't 21, only the Great Pumpkin knows when a 21 finally showed up. If the bus driver on her way home (already on overtime) hadn't stopped for me to give me a ride to a stop that other buses stop at, who knows how much longer I would have waited for a 21 to finally show up.

The bus 24 that I needed to catch next seemed to be running late as well, all told it took TWO HOURS AND TWENTY minutes to get from West Seattle to Magnolia.

Mind you this was just one way. Potentially half a commute.

I'm resigned to spending two or even three hours a day waiting for buses, waiting on buses that aren't going anywhere and actually traveling on the bus. What is unacceptable to me is spending 4 or 5 hours a day just getting to and from work.

Such a sad state of affairs hardly enocurages one to spend $ in the city either. Go out to dinner? A movie? Why the fuck would I do that when I will likely have a hellish and totally unreliable experience getting to and from. I might as well order in and watch a movie 'on demand' or from Netflix.

A clean, reliable bus system would encourage more spending at restaurants, movie theatres, nightclubs etc. Investment in more buses and more transit cops would stimulate more spending, taxes, jobs etc.

This city needs more buses and designated transit corridors. The frequency which buses I ride on are standing room only, often with the aisles filled from the back of the bus to the front is unacceptable. People having to stand on the bus for long distances is unacceptable.

Metro's fare system is also crap. How much money does Metro lose in fares due to people being let off the bus by the back doors and not paying, often because the driver doesn't want to bother with it, and wants to get on with the trip? I'm not criticising the drivers mind you, it's impossible for people to make their way forward to pay their fare when they are packed in there like sardines and it's infeasible for them to reboard the bus to pay and then re-exit, especially when you are talking about multiple people.

I feel for the bus drivers, I've ridden the bus off and on for many of the 15 years I've lived here. Several of those years it has been my only form of transportation (like it is again now). I've had favourite bus drivers that were awesome, and lots of regular bus drivers that were great. I go out of my way to make my way to the front of the bus to thank my bus driver almost every trip (as long as it doesn't slow things down, & I don't have to work my way forward through people standing in the aisles). I am thankful that there is a bus system, but that doesn't mean I am going to be shy about the ways in which it sucks, and could be improved.

Oh and I agree about the pigs, they are lame.

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