Transit riders say what they think about the bus service: it isn't all bad but they make it clear it has to get better.

http://www.burlingtongazette.ca/?p=37698

By Pepper Parr

April 1, 2015

BURLINGTON, ON

It was the third in a series of transit meetings – this time it was the riders who were going to do the talking – and talk they did.  They packed the Centennial room at the library and told each other what worked and what didn’t work for them.

Six breakout groups took part in animated discussions on what works and what doesn’t work.

What was not surprising was the number of positive things the public had to say about the men and women who drive the buses – and the number of drivers who give students a break when the coins in their pockets don’t equal; the demand of the fare box.

However – it wasn’t all good news.

Joey Edwardth, on the left isn’t sure the Mayor has it figured out. A newly converted transit advocate Mayor Goldring may have an issue he 
can run with.

Routes don’t work the way they need to work and the service is spotty much of the time.

When Bfast (Burlington friends for accessible transit) put out a challenge to the members of city council to use the bus one day a week for a month – Mayor Goldring took up the challenge and made a media event out of it. He has continued to use the bus since that kick off date for him

Councillor Marianne Meed Ward used the bus to get to a Regional Council meeting – she won’t be doing that again – close to three hours and $12+ in costs for what she says can be done in a fifteen minute car ride.

So far none of the other Councillors have taken the challenge – don’t hold your breath waiting for that to happen.

James Smith, a consistent transit advocate said he wasn’t able to take transit to get to the meeting: “the bus schedule wouldn’t allow me to do the errands I needed to do and get to the meeting on time”.

The public meeting for transit users broke out into different groups – these are the seniors talking about what the transit system does for them.

Smith was originally concerned that the politicians would take over the meeting – that didn’t prove to be the case.

Councillors Sharman, Craven, Meed Ward and the Mayor were on hand. The Mayor has clearly gotten the message – he has a new understanding of just what the transit problems are.

Meed Ward isn’t that much of a transit user – but then she lives and works in the downtown core and can walk to almost everything she is involved in.

Councillor Sharman didn’t look like he was enjoying himself and Councillor Craven just worked the crowd.

There was no one from Burlington Transit at the event. “They were invited”: said James Smith.

Councillor Marianne Meed Ward explains a point to one of the breakout groups.

The much touted Presto pass can’t apparently be easily loaded – students found this a problem. The city had to spend a considerable amount of money to get the Presto pass service operational – it wasn’t an option and it wasn’t cheap.

The Burlington Transit system has 51 buses covering 31 routes. Coming up with a schedule that meets the needs of the ridership
has been a challenge and synchronizing the bus schedule with the GO schedule has been close to impossible. GO trains come and go more frequently than the buses.

A transit rider making a point.

One of the Bfast organizers pointed out that there is apparently no one at the transit office with a long, deep background in transit – and it shows.

Signage was also described as a problem;  especially when moving from the bus service to the GO service.

The biggest problem transit has is a lack of resources. The provincial gas tax rebate is devoted to transit in most municipalities – no so in Burlington. This city has a very significant infrastructure deficit and council has decided to repair the roads rather than improve the bus service.

And some of the roads are in close to desperate need of repair. The city’s namesake street – Burlington – is a mess. There are more people living on that street who drive cars and can complain than there are bus riders. And this city council knows how to listen to as few as a dozen complaints to make a change in a policy. They are certainly responsive – they need to work on being more responsible.

Transit will begin installing some technology that will provide them with real time information on how many people get on a bus and where they get off. It will cost millions – transit believes that with this data they can develop a schedule that will meet the needs of the bus riders.

Everyone got an opportunity to tell their transit story – they weren’t all bad.

Doug Brown, a retired engineer has most of the information the city needs in filing cabinets in his basement. A tireless transit advocate, Brown surprisingly is not used or appreciated by many members of council or the people who run the transit system.

Brown does have a style that is unique to him – but he knows what he is talking about. He is a resource that should be tapped into.




Doug Brown, chair of Bfast, wants to see a bus schedule with routes that work for people and not the current bus route set up in place. It doesn’t work claims Brown.
The city no longer has a Transit Advisory committee. The one they did have consisted of had some people who should not have been at the table; they were uninformed, rude and interested only in advancing their personal agendas. There were a few that served well – just not enough of them.
 

Bfast is an organization the city might think of outsourcing the advisory role to – they have a wealth of talented, informed and committed people that can help make a difference.





Councillor Craven on the right explains a point to a transit users meeting participant while James Smith on the right looks on.

There should be a group of people who use the bus daily serving as a sounding board for the people who run the transit service.

Transit apparently doesn’t have a Twitter account – it does have a web site that more than does the job; it’s better than the city’s web site.

Burlington is reported to spend 50% less than comparable municipalities – and it shows.

Bfast will produce a report once they’ve gone through the comments that came from the several breakout groups that were created.   Expected to be completed by the end of April, it will be a solid, fact based report.

Getting the response it needs from city council is not a given – however, the Mayor now has a better understanding of the needs and the problem.

Can he swing the minds of his colleagues? Don’t expect to see Councillors Sharman, Lancaster Taylor or Dennison becoming transit advocates – their focus is on repairing the roads.

The public is going to have to howl louder to get what the city needs. The squeaky wheel does get the grease.