Re: Bus Privatization

[Magnus Homann <d0asta@licia.dtek.chalmers.se>]

"Tim Kynerd" <tim@tram.nu> writes:

> "Magnus Homann" <d0asta@licia.dtek.chalmers.se> skrev i meddelandet
> ltitphyb81.fsf@licia.dtek.chalmers.se">news:ltitphyb81.fsf@licia.dtek.chalmers.se...
> > Vaughan Williams <ender2000@my-deja.com> writes:
> >
> > > > The catch is that people don't like to transfer. A direct bus is more
> > > > valuable than a bus and transfer to rail.
> > >
> > > They don't seem to mind if you make it easy for them. This is one of
> > > the (to my knowledge) unique features in Toronto, though a few other
> > > places seem to have copied it. They go to a lot of trouble to make it
> > > easy to transfer. This means keeping walking distances very short at
> > > interchanges, having buses and trams stop on both sides of busy or wide
> > > intersections (so that transferring passengers don't have to cross the
> > > road), and at stations where buses feed the train, having the bus pull
> > > right into the station, not 100 metres away across the car park.
> > > Toronto designed their stations for the bus to pull up inside the fare
> > > paid area so that transferring passengers dont even need to show
> > > tickets.
> >
> > This is not unique. Here we also have synched transfers, such that the
> > bus waits for the train, and sometimes buses waiting for other buses.
> 
> The unique part is not the synchronized transfers, but the fact that
> buses go into the paid area of rail stations, eliminating the need to
> show tickets a second time.

Ah, I missed that part of the uniqueness. Well, we have the ticket
machines onboard, so that is not possible with the current system.

> > However, most people prefer a direct connection, and they had to
> > re-instate some direct buses that had been removed previously.
> 
> I don't think you can generalize about what "most people prefer."
> People's preferences vary.  Some people are willing to transfer in
> order to gain a faster trip, others would prefer to sit tight even
> if it takes longer.

Of course, of course. I'm just repeating what the transit found out
when asking people. Sometimes, I transfer, sometimes I don't. Mostly I
take the train... :-)

But, judging by the outcry when direct bus from southern Mölndal
("Munndal") where canceled this summer, I think transfers are
generally seen as bad. As I said, they have now re-instated the direct
bus.

In Swedish: http://www.vasttrafik.se/pling/Pling001103.pdf

> > The tram system is also being re-worked and expanded, so as to
> > minimize transfers. The goals i max one transfer, whereever you are
> > going.
> 
> That's a very sensible goal.  Most people are OK with one transfer,
> even if they would prefer a one-seat ride, but as the number of
> transfers rises, their resistance to taking transit increases.

Seing is believing. "Kringen" is touted as a major improvement. We'll see.

Homann
-- 
Magnus Homann, M.Sc. CS & E
d0asta@dtek.chalmers.se