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Friday, December 23, 2011

New to Metro

Posted by on Fri, Dec 23, 2011 at 8:47 AM

I approve of this addition...

MHM_1111220115212.jpeg
It tells the time and location. It comes with a robot voice. It liberates drivers from the dull job of announcing this and that place. it looks like the metro is trying compete with Link.

 

Comments (26) RSS

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1
They have no money to keep their routes going, but they DO have money to put in tacky electronics.
Posted by suddenlyorcas on December 23, 2011 at 9:10 AM
MasMadness 2
It looks like Metro is doing what MUNI did 10 years ago.
Posted by MasMadness on December 23, 2011 at 9:11 AM
3
Compete with Link, or any other modern public transit system.
Posted by doceb on December 23, 2011 at 9:13 AM
rob! 4
Yeah, so much for Seattle being a technology leader.

That said, synthetic/recorded voices are usually rendered just as unintelligible as those of bored and lazy drivers.
Posted by rob! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZBdUceCL5U on December 23, 2011 at 9:13 AM
Tracy 5
Still, the buses in DC area have these and it's a great help. Most of those buses don't have the audio working, but you just need the text.
Posted by Tracy on December 23, 2011 at 9:15 AM
Cato the Younger Younger 6
How wonderful...is this one of the ideas Metro comes up with and only implements it on 5% of the fleet before they give up, run out of money or people lose interest?
Posted by Cato the Younger Younger on December 23, 2011 at 9:16 AM
DOUG. 7
I approve as well.
Posted by DOUG. http://www.dougsvotersguide.com on December 23, 2011 at 9:23 AM
TheMisanthrope 8
Huh. Way to enter the '90s, finally, Metro.
Posted by TheMisanthrope on December 23, 2011 at 9:25 AM
9
I wouldn't mind if they turned the sound off (on a few buses it's a little too loud), but the sign is great.
Posted by slugbiker http://www.bicyclewatchdog.org on December 23, 2011 at 9:25 AM
10
FINALLY.

There's some sort of Metro's law, where drivers on routes you know well announce all stops in a clear audible voice, but any time you're headed someplace unknown the driver either does not announce any stops at all, or mumbles into the microphone in a way that it's totally unintelligible.

Recorded stop announcements FTW!
Posted by genevieve on December 23, 2011 at 9:36 AM
Kinison 11
Neat, but Metro is pissing away allot of money on these rapid ride b routes. I saw the bus stop across the street from Crossroads Mall and for the amount of money they spent on it, they could have provided rain shelters at 10 stops nearby. 6pm on a Friday night, maybe 25 riders on that double bus.
Posted by Kinison http://www.holgatehawks.com on December 23, 2011 at 9:38 AM
12
olympia has had this for a while. why did it take seattle so long i wonder.
Posted by marple on December 23, 2011 at 9:38 AM
MacCrocodile 13
@4 - I've never had trouble understanding the recorded voice. With the drivers, it's a crap shoot whether you're going to get someone who knows or cares how to use a microphone.
Posted by MacCrocodile on December 23, 2011 at 9:39 AM
orino 14
No, they're trying to catch up to TriMet in Portland, whose buses have had these for years...
Posted by orino http://www.scootinoldskool.com on December 23, 2011 at 9:40 AM
tehjakers 15
Comes in handy, but hard to find.
Posted by tehjakers on December 23, 2011 at 9:44 AM
Steven Bradford 16
When I lived in car crazy phoenix several years ago, the bus system had these, was surprised to see metro didn't have them yet, glad to see we've caught up to Phoenix!
Posted by Steven Bradford http://www.seanet.com/~bradford/ on December 23, 2011 at 9:45 AM
Renton Mike 17
It also tells the people at the stop which route it is and where it's going.
Posted by Renton Mike on December 23, 2011 at 9:47 AM
Merchant Seaman 18
Yes, but is it George Takei's voice?
No?
The sorry Honolulu's The Bus wins...
Posted by Merchant Seaman on December 23, 2011 at 9:56 AM
biju 19
This is also available on most ST buses I've been on. RE: B-line. So they're spanking new buses running every 10 mins during peak hours. And most of the Eastside B-line shelters also have the electronic display that tells you when your bus will be arriving. Splurge!
Posted by biju on December 23, 2011 at 10:02 AM
20
"I wouldn't mind if they turned the sound off..."

The vision-impaired would...not to mention those in the back of a crowded bus.

Posted by bigyaz on December 23, 2011 at 11:07 AM
lizlemon 21
@18 -- That would be the best bus ride ever. If George Takei narrated all the bus stops, I probably would just skip my stop and stay on to the end of the route.
Posted by lizlemon on December 23, 2011 at 11:13 AM
markmc 22
metro could have leapfrogged everybody by installing LCD screens in the front of the buses and playing cat videos on loop.
Posted by markmc on December 23, 2011 at 11:19 AM
bedipped 23
@22
Videos of cats, or videos appealing to cats.
Posted by bedipped on December 23, 2011 at 11:45 AM
Sargon Bighorn 24
Frankly I'm looking forward to the day when New technology will put two horses in front of the buses pulling them along; reduces the carbon foot print and THAT'S very important to fight global warming.
Posted by Sargon Bighorn on December 23, 2011 at 11:55 AM
25
@22: Many buses in L.A. have interior televisions, split-screened between a GPS live-map and a Spanish-language news channel.
Posted by d.p. on December 23, 2011 at 12:01 PM
dwightmoodyforgetsthings 26
@21- Especially if the bus was able to say "Oh my..." whenever it passes a shirtless hottie.
Posted by dwightmoodyforgetsthings http://www.reddit.com/r/spaceclop on December 26, 2011 at 4:13 PM

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