Serving the Neighborhoods with Storefronts

re: Serving the Neighborhoods with Storefronts

Cedric Collins — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 02:32:21 GMT

What's gotta be done is what's gotta be done. Otherwise, it won't be done. LOL=>that sounds funny---at least to me.

I fully understand what it means to be frustrated by construction---whether or not it's METRO-related. As we ALL know, it can and will affect certain METRO routes---especially if the driver has to make a detour around certain obstacles.

re: Serving the Neighborhoods with Storefronts

Ian — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 17:12:15 GMT

Hey Coug -- the Harrisburg line is planned to be light rail like the other 4 new lines, and as I understand it, all 5 will begin operation concurrently in 2012. Unless something disastrous happens at the federal level, Houston won't be seeing any bus rapid any time soon.

re: Serving the Neighborhoods with Storefronts

Cedric Collins — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 17:33:20 GMT

Royko,

What "courageous judge?" The ones who may be duped by folks such as yourself? I would hope that any judge who wants to be involved in this think twice before making any decisions. Thanks.

re: Serving the Neighborhoods with Storefronts

Royko — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 02:45:36 GMT

coug6666,

METRO is wallowing in "Windfall" sales tax revenue! They collect over $1.3 million each and every day from the hapless taxpayers to squander on their Utopian urban rail empire.

No delay will deter this Orwellian organization.

Only a new Mayor, and ELECTING a County Judge, so as to appoint a new BOD that will put the poor, minority, elderly, and handicapped bus transit dependent riders' interests ahead of the HouChron Editors.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5350930.html

++++++++++

Dec. 5, 2007, 12:34AM

FTA tells Metro to rework its rail plans

By MIKE SNYDER

re: Serving the Neighborhoods with Storefronts

Royko — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 23:22:09 GMT

_said,

That is the wrong view.

Urban rail, at grade, is usafe, unreliable, and underutilized, which is squandering precious taxpayer resources, which are too often diverted from the "safety net" established for the poor, minoroty, elderly, and handicapped bus transit dependent riders.

Buses run rings around rail! Buses are mobile, agile, versitile, and of great utility; whereas, the steel-wheeled tram is tethered to a sparking wire, and is the antithesis of mobility. Also, it is false advertising to mention "rapid" with transit when discussing the "transit backbone" tram.

re: Serving the Neighborhoods with Storefronts

Royko — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 03:37:40 GMT

Mr. Collins,

You confuse the problems with underpaid, second-tier operators, and blame the vehicles.

The problem with operators is how they are being treated by current management.

Up until the implementation of the two-tiered system, I do not recall the level of complaints twenty years ago as elevated as we see today.

re: Serving the Neighborhoods with Storefronts

coug6666 — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 03:19:39 GMT

Mr collins Royko is right. I spoke to a couple of drivers who were at a transit center on break and asked them about the tier system and management relations( I talk to one of the drivers). All complained that metro short changes them on everything from break time( they work for free continueing the bus route so to try to keep a resonable schedule. Think walmart and their suceesful lawsuit.) to the actual buses. The buses are breaking down so much now that many drivers have to wait for a bus out of service before they can pull out of their garage. Here is where they say management ruined the way these buses run. Awhile back first transit was given a series of local buses and these buses were a few yaers old. These buses ran when metro was servicing them. Once 1st transit got them they could not keep these same buses running. 1st transit complained that metro intentionally gave them the broken down buses. The metro drivers I spoke to say metro gave 1st transit two whole series of buses that there was no cherrypicking buses. After the issue came into play in the newspapers metro bought a new series of buses and gave these new buses to 1st transit. The two older series that 1st transit had were given back to metro and are now in service. It is these buses that they say are failing. They are failing because 1st transit could not maintain the byses in their system. Metro mechanics can only work so much magic after all the neglect from 1st transit mechanics. These same drivers say that 1st transit always exchanges buses with metro when they are unable to amintain them. Buses that started out at metro transfer to 1st transit. Buses that started out at 1st transit go to metro. These are all metro buses so what is the matter? Metro should take in consideration how much it really costs to maintain these buses.

re: Serving the Neighborhoods with Storefronts

MIZZ_PORKIE — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 15:08:15 GMT

CEDRIC....POOR CEDRIC!!

ROYKO and COUG6666 are one of few here that posts on this blog that's 99.9% in touch with what's REALLY going on!!

First, let me state this...Back in '95 when i first hit the street as an OPERATOR, we had beat up broken down MARCO POLO mini buses. The ones that looked like the RAINBOW BREAD TRUCK!! Terrible, horrible..not only did we endure mechanical problems, but we were only paid i think around $5 bucks an hour, were not guaranteed anything, and after 4 1/2 years as a METRO employees we lost 4 1/2 years of time. So meaning, instead of 27 years of service,I have to vest 31!!!

The Three Tired SYSTEM (actually its 3) was designed to "SAVE" money. Not saving b/c of accidents, morale, lost time, and overtime. The youngsters come, don't stay get the FREE CDL TRAINING and go drive TRUCK for UPS POST OFFICE FED EX who blames them....UPS pays over 25.00 and hour and have much better benefits than WE DO!!! THEY have a UNION who fights for them not against them!

SSECOND, If yo think writing a defect card and turning it in to the SERVICE WRITER is what need to be done, and the mechanics fis them...then YOU ARE DELIRIOUS!!

True we have been given all the JUNK from FIRST TRANSIT, before we had all of the IKARUS and FLXIBLE busses AND ARTICS, WE RAN THESE ROUTES ON TIME!!!!!!! and royko is right, 15 or 20 yrs ago you did not have these complaints!! The buses went to First Transit, came back TOTAL DISASTERS and yes we are driving them now! It is not that easy to TELL a maintenace worker, "This Bus NEEDS a BRAKE JOB" NOWADAYS with the MGMT here now, you might get FIRED!!

so what we do? KEEP your mouth SHUT>>>>DRIVE IT>>>>PRAY IT STOPS< PRAY IT DOESN"T QUIT RUNNING< AND IF IT DOES>>> HOPEFULLY ITS IN A WELL LIT PLACE BATHROOM AND CONVEINIENCE STORE NEARBY!! and wait 20 to 30 minutes for dispatch to answer radio request, go thru proceedure with them and wait another hour on a SERVICE TRUCK TO SHOW UP!! THEY do their little troubleshooting, all the while they are complaining about what should have been done in the SHOP, CHEAP PARTS< NO PARTS< AND JUST SERIOUS NEGLECT Then it is HOOKED on the WRECKER towed to the GARAGE, PUT ON DEFECT ROW....MEANWHILE I HAVE TO WALK TO SERVICE WRITER, EXCUSE ME FIND THEM. (NOW DISPATCH ALREADY KNOWS MY BUS IS DOWN TOWED BACK TO GARAGE, WHY HAVE THEY NOT INFORMED SERVICE WRITIER TO HAVE A BUS STANDING BY?)

I WAIT, 10, 20, 30 MINUTES SOMETIMES IT HAS BEEN HOURS!!

.......GET THE PICTURE YET?