[Bus congestion on Third Avenue. Photo by Ronald Holden]
Metro Transit craziness continues. The agency told everyone for weeks that big changes were coming, but didn't explain why, except to say the new way to run Metro would cost less. (Hah!) They cut popular routes, dropped the critical Ride-Free Area downtown, and have been leaving riders stranded as overloaded coaches rolled past their stops.
So imagine our surprise when we found this post today on the Magnolia Voice blog. In the spirit of equal time, we'll run it without comment:
Dear Metro customer, It's been two weeks of commutes since we made major changes to Metro Transit service, and while things are going more smoothly for many, we still are working on several problems identified by our customers.
We've taken steps to address crowding on some routes, and are monitoring reports of missed stops on other routes. We also are working with bus drivers to make things go more smoothly on every trip – including directing riders to consistently exit at the back of the bus when able and encouraging riders to move to the back so passengers aren't left at the curb.
We're taking these steps in part because you reported them. While we may not be able to address every concern, we do consider all feedback and potential solutions as we work to serve as many riders as we can with the best system we can. Your feedback is appreciated and valued.
Thanks for riding Metro Transit and for your patience during this unusual period of transition for so many.
Kevin Desmond, Metro Transit General Manager