Since the unannounced COUP on March 26, 2007, the service has gone downhill even further. What was once a fairly direct trip downtown on #15 now involves a 25 minute layover at the airport, because the connecting bus pulls out just ahead of the incoming one - and it costs twice as much now, too - so that the bus that used to continue on to downtown sits at idle for 25 at the airport, while the one from downtown does, too. Two buses, two drivers, crappy service, DOUBLE the price, DOUBLE the time!
And if I want to go to Bradenton, it costs THREE times as much as before, in addition to taking DOUBLE the time, because of the layover.
Did I mention that they got an additional $5 million dollars make these changes to "improve" the service, and hire some (undoubtedly Republican) consultants?
Yeah, they fired all the old bus drivers that knew the routes and the passengers, too.
What's next? Well, the service is going to get even worse, as the consultants "tweak the system". They are interested in STATISTICS, not actual customer service. In a memo about the change seen at the terminal downtown, the change was justified as improving their "on-time performance". It doesn't matter to them that the cost to riders and the time required increases exponentially - they justify everything by statistics (the same justification is used for the FCAT disaster).
Don't be surprised if Vern Bu(s)chanan gets some funding so that the bus system can be "PRIVATIZED" to one of his buddies, along with a big government subsidy to get it going...
They have already seen to it that expectations have been drastically lowered...
And by the way, it seems like there are a lot more "Lord bless you" to be heard form the new drivers - who said faith-based initiatives aren't stronger than ever?
Too bad these drivers are much less friendly and eager to help customers - but they don't have to be any more - it's like the new Civil Service...
Where is SCAT heading?
Since the unannounced COUP on March 26, 2007, the service has gone downhill even further. What was once a fairly direct trip downtown on #15 now involves a 25 minute layover at the airport, because the connecting bus pulls out just ahead of the incoming one - and it costs twice as much now, too - so that the bus that used to continue on to downtown sits at idle for 25 at the airport, while the one from downtown does, too. Two buses, two drivers, crappy service, DOUBLE the price, DOUBLE the time!
And if I want to go to Bradenton, it costs THREE times as much as before, in addition to taking DOUBLE the time, because of the layover.
Did I mention that they got an additional $5 million dollars make these changes to "improve" the service, and hire some (undoubtedly Republican) consultants?
Yeah, they fired all the old bus drivers that knew the routes and the passengers, too.
What's next? Well, the service is going to get even worse, as the consultants "tweak the system". They are interested in STATISTICS, not actual customer service. In a memo about the change seen at the terminal downtown, the change was justified as improving their "on-time performance". It doesn't matter to them that the cost to riders and the time required increases exponentially - they justify everything by statistics (the same justification is used for the FCAT disaster).
Don't be surprised if Vern Bu(s)chanan gets some funding so that the bus system can be "PRIVATIZED" to one of his buddies, along with a big government subsidy to get it going...
They have already seen to it that expectations have been drastically lowered...
And by the way, it seems like there are a lot more "Lord bless you" to be heard form the new drivers - who said faith-based initiatives aren't stronger than ever?
Too bad these drivers are much less friendly and eager to help customers - but they don't have to be any more - it's like the new Civil Service...