Ms. Sit,

From what was described, and having read what other disgruntled bus riders have shared lately as to their observations and experiences, one would have thought you were describing the typical present day bus experience.

Royko,

     Perhaps that one person would be you and only you?  May I ask who and/or what disgruntled bus riders are you talking about?  PLEASE---share us what you have learned about what these people are saying.  You act like they should complain every friggin' day so that you can run around in it like it's an award or something.

I say---learn how to live with what you got.  If it doesn't work (for example=>no A/C on a bus), find a way to fix it or make sure the bus doesn't run out on the streets.  If that doesn't work, then we'll have to live with it---or---catch the next bus WITH A/C.

I'm still going to say that I wish METRO the best of luck in trying to make mass transit better than what it is now in Houston.  F.Y.I., we're not the only TA that's planning and/or running BRT-like routes.

Back to reality, shall we?  Mary---I only see one (1) woman in that picture.  When you put your mouse pointer over the photo, it says "Two women pointing to new bus, 1960s."  Anyhoo, let me know when this can be available on the METRO website so I can view it there.  Thanks!

http://www.youtube.com/htownman24 =>view it and enjoy, folks!

Rapid Transit Fishbowls.  ANCIENT!  (But they worked!) Actually rode them as RT and as (quiet) HouTran!

BTW, is it me, or has anybosy noticed how EMPTY the Katy HOT lanes are.  At some times they are more lonely than the Maytag repair guy!  (Do use them, legally either via EZ-Tag or 2+.)

Dominic,

       If you still want to ride a Fishbowl, your best luck would be to go to Canada.  It'll depend on who still have those Fishbowls running.  Try Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) for example---the same "guinea pig" transit agency for the Orion VII NG hybrids---meaning---they're the first to get those kinds of buses.

Just a thought.

No, don't need to ride one.  And got one in Corgi!

Enjoyed the documentary. I know and Metro knows but won't say it, that the hard core resistance to ANY form of public transportation comes from racial and class PLU's (People Like Us). I discovered this first hand at one of Metro's early community informational meetings regarding the University Light Rail Line. Let me be more specific, they (the hard core) opponents will use other, politically correct reasons to oppose expansion of mass transit systems, but their REAL fear is you, dear rider, in their neighborhood.

Morgan:

Are you trying to say that some prople have not moved very far in attitudes from the Rosa Parks era?

I a sense, I have experianced your point.  Except for the Houston Zoo, which does give a METRORail discout for showing your Q, I have seen nobody else do it.  There are olaces where people endorse your parking, but not Q.  If you are going to do one, you need to do both.

I do know this much.  I have some very nice neightbors.  They saved/ing to make the down/monthly payments.  Either car or house.  Its METRO/house.  

Cedric:

Either METRO of the Houston Metropolitan Research Center of the HPL has pictures of the Houston transit history.

The girl is showing off the express lamps of the fishbowls.

These photos remind me of Bernie Caulkins, the guy who last owned the profitable private bus transit company before he was "thrown under the bus" by taxpayer-subsidized METREAUX.

Royko,

What in GOD'S name does your______comment mean?

Dominic,

IMHO, I think both should have pics of the Houston transit history.

Morgan does have a point. There is still an undertone of classism that exists in the world of mass transit, even among those who use it. The 6-Tanglewood, 35-Fairview, 70-Memorial, and(to an extent) the 18-Kirby would have been on the chopping block long ago if it weren't for their function as a "maid shuttle" to the River Oaks and Memorial neighborhoods. They don't have the ridership to support the full 40' buses, so that's where a lot of the 30' buses go during the week.

I've ridden the 70, and I'm almost always the only one getting on at Memorial City Mall. Once the bus is on Memorial, though, it changes, especially around 2:30pm. By the time we get to Post Oak, the 30' bus is fully occupied with Hispanic women in their late 30s or early 40s, all speaking to each other in Spanish as if they've known each other forever.

Once we get to Post Oak, the bus empties about halfway. They're trying to catch the southbound 33, which may involve a sprint if one is coming as they get off. After that, almost no one gets on for the rest of the trip, except maybe at Shepherd.

A senior Metro official told me they've been trying to get rid of the Fairview for years but it's politically impossible.  

The 6 - Tanglewood still uses 40ft. buses and the 70 does too from time to time.  The 70 is a nice, relaxing ride through one of the most beautiful areas in the city that both you and the driver can enjoy.

J,

I forgot about the 6-Tanglewood being attached to Jensen route, that's why they still get a 40'.

"Politically impossible", that's cute.

That may also be the reason why they haven't bothered to attach another route to the 35 or 70. (It may also be the reason why the 35-Leeland and 70-University are gone.) A 40-50 minute route with low ridership and high reliability is better than a 70-80 minute route that may increase ridership while decreasing reliability.

Comments on the 18:

1.  The road work on Kirby hurts.

2.  At Shepherd, it should go to Washington Ave, then into town.  Lots of new, high densit housing there.

3.  Routs like the 18, 35, 39, 64, 500 (!) need buses on the same platform as METROLift!

HouTRAN... those were the days...