Seattle Metro – Route 28
So I wrote King County Metro, asking them why they’re treating route 28 so poorly. Their response might make sense to a new rider, but I’ve been riding this route for 6 years.
So the idea of not having larger buses available doesn’t tell the whole story. They were using larger buses, but something changed causing them to switch to smaller buses.
Today – while on a small bus going home after work – I noticed the bus heading downtown (counter to rush hour) was a large, articulated bus. It was empty.
All I know is that I’m glad it’s spring so I can start riding my bike again.
Here’s my original rant:
The following is the contents of a form submitted on 16-Mar-10 at 04:30 PM:
COMMENTS: Why do you hate us riders of route 28?
I’m asking because I can not fathom why – in addition to closing 1/2 the stops – you INSIST on packing us into short, non-articulated buses.
I’m writing this on a bus that I boarded at 5:00 PM at 3rd & Virginia, in DOWNTOWN Seattle. At RUSH HOUR!!
Oh, and you also INSIST on charging MORE during peak hours? So, not only are we packed in like sardines, we’re paying MORE to do so.
“Service above all else”? What an absolute JOKE!
For the first time ever, I received a response:
Hello and thank you for contacting King County Metro Transit.
A report has been generated in your name regarding the information that you provided to us. The report will be forwarded to the appropriate Metro Transit department for review.
The concern regarding passenger overloads is actually a system wide problem. We have many passenger overloads on several different bus routes throughout our service region in King County. We would like to provide bigger buses or additional trips to all of these routes that demand greater seating capacity, but we just don’t have the resources available to satisfy all of these needs.
For budgeting efficiencies, we strive to use our limited resources as effectively and practical as possible so oftentimes we need to operate a small bus where we would prefer a big bus. Future purchases of new buses will help some of the overloaded trips, but unfortunately that process is expensive and takes time. We are constantly reviewing our data and making adjustments to improve transit service. When a bigger coach becomes available then we will review our prioritization data and make an effective change. In the meantime, we apologize for any inconvenience and thank you for your patience while we try to meet the demands of so many requests.
For further information, please contact Metro Transit’s Customer Information Office at (206) 553-3000 or toll free at (800)542-7876 and press “0” to speak with a Specialist.
Again, thank you for contacting Metro Transit and have a great day.