Letter to the Editor
Bus fiasco
Published Tuesday, September 30, 2008
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To the editor:
There is talk in our community of working to improve the bus system here in Fairbanks. They take comments, but don’t seem to be planning with any common sense. In a recent article (Sept. 22), we find out that they want to spend money on one call center to replace the existing phone line. I don’t need someone to duplicate the existing bus call line. As far as I see, there are four areas of improvement that make sense to me.
First is to improve the stops themselves. It wouldn’t add to operating costs. There are some nice wood stops, but many are just signposts. I think many people would appreciate them for the wind barrier effect and chance to sit out of the snow. Personally, I believe they add to the appearance of our city, and tourists like them.
Some want to add a new line to Fox or Nenana. It would provide access to state offices for people in those areas. If it’s done, maybe it would be smart to just have one run in the morning and one in the afternoon so people can commute.
With the older buses that were just replaced, it would just be a matter of personnel and operating expenses (fuel) to run more often. I feel the wait time to be reasonable, but the Grey Line could use some weekend runs. A friend lives near Farmers Loop and her kids have a hard time doing anything because the bus doesn’t run weekends.
The buses simply need to run longer. I want to go to college, but I have a job. I really would like to go to UAF for classes after work but the last bus leaves before 9 p.m. I used to work a job where I couldn’t go full-time (had to catch last bus). A lot of people use the bus to get to work, and many such places need people to stay later. These are my opinions, but I urge you to write to MACS and support improvements that you believe make sense.
Community Discussion
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I can't fathom a bus going to Fox let alone Nenana. But extending the hours and running on weekends would seem a logical step for growing the service.
A lot of people work on the weekend and have to find alternate transportation because the bus doesn't run on Saturday or Sunday.
Even if the bus ran from 9am-5pm it would help some people get to work and any place else they needed to get.
Last time I checked, Nenana wasn't in our Borough. If they want to join then I'm all for a Borough bus run to them.
OOO, I don't know...I see several heads in the bus's all the time, year around. I have never stepped on any of them, but I know alot of folks ride them all across the community.
Weekend and longer running times would make ridership numbers increase.
I used to ride the buses as a primary mode of transportation. The biggest problem was infrequency of runs during high-traffic times as well as early closures in the evenings and no weekend service. If you provide the service, people will use it, especially in a time of escalating fuel costs. Look at other cities with successful bus programs. Bus routes increase frequency in the morning and evening and often run until midnight or later.
As for bus stop improvement, while wind breaks in winter would be nice, I think Fairbanks has about the same quality of stops I've seen elsewhere.
Suomi,
at mid-day (when people are at work and such) yes, there are only a handful of riders. In the morning, afternoon and at shopping times, I have seen the bus so full that people have to stand.
Someone working on $8.30 per hour cannot afford a $10-$15 cab fare one-way to get to work, much less being late when the cabs aren't answering the phone! Its not a failure because it doesn't run at high-capacity 100% of the time, no bus system does.
suomi - you are mean and close minded. You have absolutely no idea what you are talking about and should do a little research before you speak so harshly.
moondoggie - You are right. Nenana is outside of FNSB and has no right to our bus service. A taxi would be rather expensive but perhaps this is a small business idea for someone that needs a bit more. Get a CDL and a 15 passenger van and run this route in groups by reservation.
Longer hours and weekend hours would indeed increase the usage of the bus service, I know my family would then be able to take advantage of it.
I wonder about the Chena Hot Springs area, is there enough people out that direction that would use it????? Perhaps if they added a stop at the corner of Nordale rd... something to think about.
I live in Fox, and personally would love to have another option to get to town I don't have our truck. But, being so far out I do understand how costly it would be to have a bus system going all the way out here. Not knowing HOW many people would really use it from this area to make it worth the effort and profitable at the same time.
We do need some more sheltered bus stops. The winters here are EXTREME and if the bus is late, standing at a sign for the extra minutes can feel like forever. And when it does get that cold here, the bus was more often than not, late. At least in my bus riding experience.
Who knows where the bus stops really are anyway? Sometimes there is a sign, sometimes there isn't. If there is a sign, then the paint has long since faded. Even worse, I've seen at least one faded bus stop sign (with a bench next to it even) in places where there is no longer a bus stop (WIC office off Gillam on the old red line). Granted, the drivers usually stop for anybody waving at the driver along the route, but for new riders the system is not "user friendly."
Wasting resources to send buses out to Fox or even Farmers Loop is another issue entirely. Why should taxpayers subsidize such non-sustainable living for the few who *want* to live far apart from each other outside the urban (haha) core?
I live off of Farmers Loop and I know that if we had more runs in the morning and evening and some on Saturday my family would take advantage of it to save on the cost of gas. My wife takes classes and having more runs during the day would help us out. Thats my opinion and I'm not trying to speak for other people who live on Farmers Loop rd. Peace.
The bus system already loses money. It was just recently that the borough was struggling to figure out a way to make ends meet due to the property tax cap reduction combined with the inability to add a sales tax. I realize that was altered, but the borough still has limited funds to do everything people expect. If we are going to increase the bus system services, we need to figure out a way to increase the amount of funding the system gets, either through reductions to other services, increased taxes, increased revenue through increased fares or ridership, etc.....Not saying it's a bad idea to want to improve and expand the bus system. Just saying that doing that requires money that nobody seems willing to provide.
I would like to know what it costs to run this bus system per per month,break it down on an hourly rate on ridership and then charge the riders an hourly rate plus 10% for profit to the borrough. If ridership is up they make more of a profit if it is down loose a little,cut out all the free rides totaly,give our senoirs a discount of 50% and if the system can not make money sell the busses layoff the borrough employees working for the system(not give them different government jobs,make them work for a living)because we can not afford to keep throwing more money down the drain! Run it like a business instead of a socialist program.
the cost of accounting to figure that out is far more than our borough government is capable of doing, huffy. Government run business = poorly run business~
And if you want to think in terms of economics, just imagine how hard Fred, Wal-Mart, Sears and all the fast-food places will be hit when 1/3 of their workforce and 1/6 of their customers cannot make it in.
1/3 of the employees at Freds, WalMart, Sears, and "all the fast-food places" ride the bus to work? 1/6 of their customers ride the bus?
Really?
I bet 1/2 of all statistics are just made up.
Isanova, are you saying Fred Meyers, Fast food workers ride a bus too work? Nothing like a little supposition and conjecture to go along with my dessert. Humble Pie. Yum. Would you like a slice?
Remember the bus that ran from down town to the UAF ? The guy was making money before the borough took over and put him out of business, but now we have a much better system??
The one time I though about using the bus system I worked down town and lived in H. A. The bus left the downtown station at 4:45, I got off work at 5, like most people, the next bus was at 6, I could have walked home in that time. Just what is the REAL rider numbers ??
There has got to be a better way? Right? This cant be it, we need to get around, with the current energy situation, people are going to be looking for alternitaves, the greenies always say, car pool or use public transportaion. What if it isnt available? What about Park and Rides? Maybe Fairbanks isnt big enough yet. Shuttles, subways, trams...anything?
What a bunch of whiners...cry me a river. I've hitchhiked plenty. I also pick up hitchhikers now that I have a vehicle. Stick your thumb out before you cry about the bus service that is a complete waste of money.
Them busses run to Salcha?
Good for you, I also have done my fair share of picking up, never hitch hiked though. I dont think that is the answer.Its not a waste of money, somewhere it has been mismanaged. Its becoming more necessary. People without cars, people who cant drive, kids under 16 whos parents told them too buy their own car, and take a bus too work. Ect. Ect.
isanova that is exactly my point! The government does not know how to MAKE MONEY,THEY JUST PISS IT AWAY!Send the borrough busses to the scrap heap we would all be better off!
huffy, maybe you would be better off... but those who can't afford or do not wish to own a car would be in trouble.
As for the 1/3 comment, a fair number of people I see riding the bus work at Freds, Walmart, Wendys, etc... and quite a few people have their grocieries with them too. It was an observation, basically some people working there will have trouble getting to work without it. Would you want to pay $10-$15 bucks for a cab twice a day, just to goto a near-minimum wage job?
Hitchhiking - yes, what a great idea for all those females out there. That's what I want to do! Hitchhike in the pitch black by myself in the middle of Fairbanks. I'm sure my father would be THRILLED that his daughter was doing that. Are you kidding me????? Hitchhike???? I know 99.99% of people aren't going to hurt someone but I sure as heck don't want to get one of the .01% and end up dead or worse on the side of the road. Sometimes I wish I was a guy so I didn't have to be so alert about the crazies. Must be nice to have that kind of comfort in life. The only reason I own a cell phone is so I can call for help and don't have to depend upon random people who pull over and may or may not hurt a female traveling alone when my car breaks down on the side of the road.
Yes! Let's get all the single mothers who can't afford cars to go hitchhike to work when the bus stops running. Brilliant on so many levels. (Note the sarcasm).
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