Dear Metro Transit,
I have been a devoted rider for three years (since my husband and I ditched our car) and have generally had good experiences, good bus drivers and decent service/connections.
And then, in your infinite wisdom, you changed all the schedules on 9/19 to disband "duplication of service" with the coming of the Link Light Rail.
Words do not adequately express the frustration caused by the sheer lack of information (not to mention dis-information) that was distributed concerning the changes to bus service in South Seattle. Rider Alerts went up in our neighborhood (once served by the fantastic 42, now served by a mediocre-at-best 107) a mere day before the service change with INCORRECT information. The information posted was so confusing and incomplete that a Metro manager had to shuttle people to the correct bus stop all morning. This was, luckily, corrected by Monday afternoon but only after a particularly disastrous morning commute.
To add insult to injury, the 107 coach is a small 30' bus (so small that it does not have a back door) because Metro did not account for the added 42 riders when it switched service. The bus is regularly full by the time it reaches my stop, a full 2 miles from the light rail line. We have passed so many people on the subsequent stops that riders have simply stopped waiting for this bus or are forced to travel up to my stop just to ensure they get on the bus. Inside we are packed like sardines. This is unsafe, especially for the elderly and children who are forced to stand because there are inadequate seats. Moreover, I have missed my connection at the light rail station twice over a period of five days because it takes so long for people to de-board such a crowded bus. This causes me to miss my connection in downtown and adds 15 minutes and a 3/4 mile walk to my final destination. Although you have received numerous complaints from passengers and drivers concerning the size of this coach, you have continued to show a serious disregard the comfort and safety of 107 passengers by refusing to act in a timely manner.
Duplication of Service?? Seriously?!? I understand that you want people to use the light rail. I even enjoy the light rail and think it was a good idea for Seattle. What I don't like is NOT BEING ABLE TO USE THE LIGHT RAIL because the bus connections from the Link to my home are overcrowded, late, and inconvenient (late night connections were reduced from half hourly to hourly). What I don't like is taking the 106 (with an extra 3/4 of a mile walk) just to avoid the unpredictable connection to the 107 in Rainier Beach. What I don't like is having to take three buses when I once had to take one to get around South Seattle. What I don't like is a service designed to meet the needs of South Seattle being so ill-conceived and poorly implemented that I am seriously considering returning to the ranks of the gas-guzzling car drivers.
If you want people to use the light rail, give them the buses that get them to the Link and back safely and efficiently. Service on the 107 is unacceptable. During peak hours, we need a larger bus or more frequent buses now, not when the service revisions go into effect in February, right NOW!
That rant aside, the world has been going well for me. The added walk from the 106 stop has actually been good for encouraging exercise (one slight benefit) and the house is more or less setup as we want it to be (we have even had a handful of guests!). Curtains are sewn and hung (despite battle of wills between yours truly and her grandmother's hand-me-down sewing machine) and I discovered a lovely independent plant nursery where I picked up much-needed pitcher plant and a (less-necessary but still pleasing) aloe vera plant.
And then, in your infinite wisdom, you changed all the schedules on 9/19 to disband "duplication of service" with the coming of the Link Light Rail.
Words do not adequately express the frustration caused by the sheer lack of information (not to mention dis-information) that was distributed concerning the changes to bus service in South Seattle. Rider Alerts went up in our neighborhood (once served by the fantastic 42, now served by a mediocre-at-best 107) a mere day before the service change with INCORRECT information. The information posted was so confusing and incomplete that a Metro manager had to shuttle people to the correct bus stop all morning. This was, luckily, corrected by Monday afternoon but only after a particularly disastrous morning commute.
To add insult to injury, the 107 coach is a small 30' bus (so small that it does not have a back door) because Metro did not account for the added 42 riders when it switched service. The bus is regularly full by the time it reaches my stop, a full 2 miles from the light rail line. We have passed so many people on the subsequent stops that riders have simply stopped waiting for this bus or are forced to travel up to my stop just to ensure they get on the bus. Inside we are packed like sardines. This is unsafe, especially for the elderly and children who are forced to stand because there are inadequate seats. Moreover, I have missed my connection at the light rail station twice over a period of five days because it takes so long for people to de-board such a crowded bus. This causes me to miss my connection in downtown and adds 15 minutes and a 3/4 mile walk to my final destination. Although you have received numerous complaints from passengers and drivers concerning the size of this coach, you have continued to show a serious disregard the comfort and safety of 107 passengers by refusing to act in a timely manner.
Duplication of Service?? Seriously?!? I understand that you want people to use the light rail. I even enjoy the light rail and think it was a good idea for Seattle. What I don't like is NOT BEING ABLE TO USE THE LIGHT RAIL because the bus connections from the Link to my home are overcrowded, late, and inconvenient (late night connections were reduced from half hourly to hourly). What I don't like is taking the 106 (with an extra 3/4 of a mile walk) just to avoid the unpredictable connection to the 107 in Rainier Beach. What I don't like is having to take three buses when I once had to take one to get around South Seattle. What I don't like is a service designed to meet the needs of South Seattle being so ill-conceived and poorly implemented that I am seriously considering returning to the ranks of the gas-guzzling car drivers.
If you want people to use the light rail, give them the buses that get them to the Link and back safely and efficiently. Service on the 107 is unacceptable. During peak hours, we need a larger bus or more frequent buses now, not when the service revisions go into effect in February, right NOW!
That rant aside, the world has been going well for me. The added walk from the 106 stop has actually been good for encouraging exercise (one slight benefit) and the house is more or less setup as we want it to be (we have even had a handful of guests!). Curtains are sewn and hung (despite battle of wills between yours truly and her grandmother's hand-me-down sewing machine) and I discovered a lovely independent plant nursery where I picked up much-needed pitcher plant and a (less-necessary but still pleasing) aloe vera plant.