Thursday, January 14, 2010
MATA's Chicken/Egg Problem
Posted by Mary Cashiola on Thu, Jan 14, 2010 at 11:46 AM
This week in our print edition, I wrote about MATA.
The public transportation authority is looking at several changes, including new "Smart Bus" technology, a study of the routes and service areas, and a new FastPass program, which lets people pay for a daily, weekly, or monthly pass.
All things I think they should be doing and congratulate them for taking on.
But in a world where public transportation makes good economic sense for both localities and their citizens, not to mention the health and environmental benefits, I urged MATA to try to make riding the bus more convenient and more efficient.
For the record, I like MATA general manager Will Hudson. He’s a nice guy; he’s been inducted into some state transportation hall of fame, and his story — working his way from bus driver to MATA head — is very impressive.
But I think they could help themselves — and the county — by growing a larger ridership base.
And that’s going to take creating a system that works better for everyone: more streamlined routes, quicker pick-up times, an iPhone app that tells you exactly where your bus is — they can use their new Smart Bus GPS technology! — and when it is scheduled to arrive, and automated fare machines at more than just a few locations.
For people who can afford it, convenience is as important as cost. If you make it difficult for people to use, and they have the option, they’ll drive.
You can’t have routes that squirrel up and down tiny side streets, just because they always have, adding precious minutes to travel time. You can’t demand correct change in a world where most people don’t even carry cash anymore.
MATA has to think of itself competing against automobiles and all the amenities they come with, such as credit card machines at parking garages and credit card machines at gas stations.
I think MATA officials would say that they’d love to do these things, but they take money. And they would be right.
But it’s kind of a chicken-and-egg conundrum.
If you could do these things, you could get a bigger ridership base. If you had a bigger ridership base, you could collect more fares and get the support to do more of these types of things.
At a MATA briefing last week, officials talked about how 45 percent, or $52 million, of MATA’s budget comes from the city of Memphis. In fact, Memphis is the only local funding source.
One of the MATA board members pointed out that none of the suburban communities help fund MATA though most of them are serviced by its routes.
To which I wonder: When was the last time MATA asked the suburbs for funding?
Present a case as to why MATA service is important to suburban residents and go before the governments of these communities and make the ask.
The only hitch is: MATA service has to be important to suburban residents.
I have a lot more to say on this topic, but I'm going to stop there.
Comments (12)
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MATA's problem is less a chicken-egg problem and more a bus-bicycle problem: a cursory trial run on Google Transit reveals that a trip from, say, the airport to the zoo takes nearly an hour--longer than it would take to ride a bicycle the same distance (that's the short trip with extra walking--alternative routes that actually get to the zoo take up to an hour and a half). Instead of riding the bus to where they want to go, passengers end up riding to where the bus is going, and making it to their destination as a matter of coincidence.
There is a lot more to say and I wish you would continue. There are all sorts of issues that MATA and Memphis will need to confront. Some of these are really outside of MATA’s control: low residential population densities, the fact that a significant amount of local employment is not concentrated in any one of several centers thanks to the low density nature of warehouse activities and definite negative associations many locals seem to have with riding transit. Then there are those issues within their control: routes, frequency, timing and transfer coordination. Reinventing the system can only help, but the local population needs to be convinced that transit is important. I hate to say it, but I believe one can measure a community’s understanding of the role transit plays and said communities commitment to transit on if a dedicated funding source is identified. Talk is cheap, but a dedicated sales tax is putting your money where your mouth is.
True enough. Many people wouldn't ride the bus if it stopped in front of their house every ten minutes and took them straight to work with no transfers, simply because of who they would have to sit beside. In the real world of transfers and long waits in less than savory neighborhoods, Memphians' traditional inhibitions soon take over.
I remember one time sitting at a bus stop at Poplar and Perkins, not exactly a bad neighborhood. This guy walks up to me, points at my backpack, and says, "Is that a laptop computer?" If I had said yes, no doubt he would have robbed me. "Schoolbooks," I said, and he continued on his merry way.
All very true statements. What really makes me shudder is the thought of all of the federal money that the city/county/state received from the original I-40 through Overton Park debacle that was to be spent on "public transportation". Apparently public transportation in this area is equivocal to building more roads. Yet another opportunity squandered.
O for god's sake Jeff we don't not take the bus because we are all racists. We don't take the bus because buses are not an enjoyable way to get around town, they are slow, they take crazy routes that don't conform to development patters and make your ride take forever, and because traffic in memphis really isn't bad enough to push people to take the bus. In other cities you take public transport because its the easiest way to get to point B. There is no point B in Memphis to which it is more convenient to take the bus than your own car.
Jack, I didn't say you were. I said that even if bus service were fabulous and convenient, some people wouldn't ride the bus because of who they would have to sit beside.
I've seen systems in a few cities that work almost like a subway system. Major arteries like Poplar and, lets say Perkins (or whatever) are serviced in straight lines, with buses arriving every 5 to 10 minutes. If you need to change directions, you transfer to a line running perpendicular which has buses every 5 to 10 minutes. For me, in midtown, if I wanted to go to the university, I would walk the 2 blocks to McLean, wait no more than 5 minutes, take a bus down to Central, wait no more than 5 minutes and take a bus straight down Central to the university. A route down the Airways/East Parkway line would take you to the airport.
With all the buses going in straight lines on major streets, running every few minutes, getting anywhere in a predictable amount of time would be a much more likely (and attractive) possiblity.
re: Misplaced Canadian
Exactly.
I've been thinking about how you can create a system that has the benefits of light rail for a fraction of the cost. Use the infrastructure we already have — the roads and the buses — designate bus lanes, and have traffic signals that turn green when a bus is approaching. I think Boston does this somehow, maybe sensors?
I think you guys are talking about Bus Rapid Transit. Lots of examples in the U.S. to one degree or another: Boston has the Silver Line; LA has the Orange Line; Pittsburgh has the East, South and West Busways; Cleveland has the Health Line; Las Vegas has the MAX; Miami has the South Miami-Dade Busway; and there are many more. MATA considered the "technology" but chose light rail as its preferred mass transit vehicle type for the future. Considering their very limited budget, it might be time to scrap their rail plans to date and stick to improving the local bus system.
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