Thursday, July 2, 2009
Where's that Bus?
MTA Buses Going High-Tech - Newschannel 5
Actually, I thought GPS units were already installed on all the buses (which is how they know when to announce the next the next stop over the loudspeakers), but soon the GPS data will be put to much better use. Cool!
Monday, June 1, 2009
Lots going on!
There's a public hearing tomorrow (June 2nd at 6:30 pm) on Metro Nashville's operating budget for the next fiscal year. Drop by the Metro Courthouse and put in a good word for public transit! Or, if you're not all into that public oration thing, just write your council representative.
Discuss the future of mass transit in Nashville at a town hall meeting at the Civic Design Center downtown. It's this Thursday, June 4, from 5:30 to 7:30 pm.
And finally, the really good news: even as gas prices are rising at the pump, diesel prices for MTA will be stable for the next two years. So no big unpleasant surprises anytime soon, and we may likely see improved service later this year.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
That New Bus Smell
MTA's brand new hybrid buses made a debut today. Here are some pictures from the first trip, with local media, transit officials, mayor Karl Dean and other guests in attendance.
Our trip was just a quick jaunt out to East Literature Magnet School, and back downtown on another hybrid bus. This was a real scheduled bus trip, and we picked up a few surprised passengers along the way.
It really did have that new bus smell! It was a nice smooth ride. Obviously, it's also much quieter than the traditional diesel buses. Much easier to carry on a conversation with 61 of your closest friends when you're not competing with a noisy engine.
Of course the real benefits are in fuel efficiency. Channel 5 reports MTA CEO Paul Ballard as saying the new buses are 34 percent more fuel efficient. Maintenance costs are also reduced.
There are currently 6 new buses, each costing about $840,000. That's about $140,000 more than a new diesel bus, so it will take a few years to make up the difference, depending on the price of oil. If you're thinking long term, though, this is the way to go.
These new buses will be running the usually jam-packed #26 Gallatin Road route. Soon they'll be destined for the bus rapid transit (BRT) route along the same corridor. Like most MTA buses, they have GPS systems on board. With BRT, traffic lights along the route will 'know' the buses are coming. Buses won't change red lights to green (wouldn't we all like that technology!) but they will keep green lights green a little longer if it will help the bus keep on schedule.
Thanks to MTA for the sneak peek!
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
New Routes Posted
New bus schedules are posted on MTA's web site.
(Turns out #8 isn't every half hour at peak times, but it is a more frequent.)
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Route Changes
Several route schedules are changing come March 29. Pick up a summary of the changes on the bus or download it here. Some of the specifics haven't been posted yet as far as I can tell. I have heard that the #8 8th avenue is going back to every half hour during rush hour.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Stimulus
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Petition for the #1 Vine Hill Route
So this morning on the bus, a woman comes around with a petition to reinstate the route #1 Vine Hill bus. She got on about 30 seconds before my stop so I had just barely time to sign and didn't get the chance to get any more information.
So if you see her, please tell her about this site and to get in contact with me. Thanks!
Sometimes I'm a little skeptical about petitions and how useful they are, but there are a lot of us who want that route back and so it's definitely worth a shot. There's still also the hope that once Vanderbilt at 100 Oaks is fully open for business in August that will bring increased demand for bus service.
[update 3/11/09: I've heard that 500+ signatures have been sent to MTA!]
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