StarMetro

[Glenn]

G-man you are so cool w/the Batman lunchbox! I was a geek and had a Snoopy one. You do realize half to most of the people on this board never knew lunchboxes were always metal at one time and of course they never owned one. Damn kids!

Ha! Poonther, I thought about that very thing right after I posted...that's too funny you picked up on it.

[Glenn]

The shuttle looking buses are getting geared up for use. One will be in the Springtime festival parade and one will be at the SouthWood listening sessions (April 17, 18 and 20). They are one of the best buses I have seen. The company (ABI) went out of business.

Hey NewStar, Are the StarMetro listening sessions for SouthWood still planned for the dates you've listed above? The reason I ask is I've seen no announcements about these sessions on SouthWood's community website or on the upcoming SouthWood calendar of events although many other events for April, and even May, are already posted. Just curious as I would like to attend & have already told several others about it as well. Thanks!

[jpl02]

Yep jpl02 that Crown Coach is the bus I saw all over LA, much more than the standard new type of buses. They are so cool to me. Makes me wanna grab my metal lunch box and glass lined thermos and hop on for a ride.

All hail jpl02 King of the Buses!!!

Very nice history lesson on buses jpl02! Thanks so much for sharing with us...I love history! Those rounded buses are so cool....I'm grabbing my metal Batman lunchbox now & headed to the stop....Ha!

Thanks guys !

Glenn, have you got to look through the rest of the stuff I send you? I'm glad you enjoyed it!

[NewStar]

Hey NewStar, Are the StarMetro listening sessions for SouthWood still planned for the dates you've listed above? The reason I ask is I've seen no announcements about these sessions on SouthWood's community website or on the upcoming SouthWood calendar of events although many other events for April, and even May, are already posted. Just curious as I would like to attend & have already told several others about it as well. Thanks!

The meetings are still on.

April 17 and 20 from 6pm to 8pm

April 18 during lunch hours (11 to 2) for the business area.

I will try to get something on StarMetro's website

[NewStar]

I got some technical spec drawings on the new 29' buses we are ordering. Upon request to [email protected] we can send them to you.

Not sure how to post a picture.

[Florida]

I wrote you from my talgov.com e-mail address eariler NewStar but the server responded that the message had been rejected . I'll tell you, that e-mail address gave me great insight as to who you are.

[TravKoolBreeze]

I was wondering, is route 50A/B getting good ridership? For Booth to pay all that money to see very few people on the bus, I think, is a waste.

[NewStar]

I wrote you from my talgov.com e-mail address eariler NewStar but the server responded that the message had been rejected . I'll tell you, that e-mail address gave me great insight as to who you are.

A couple of emails were received. Someone should be sending the drawing.

[NewStar]

I was wondering, is route 50A/B getting good ridership? For Booth to pay all that money to see very few people on the bus, I think, is a waste.

The ridership is not as high as it could be. We are actually re-examining the route to determine a better approach. Booth does not pay 100% of the cost, just a portion. So, we have an invested interest to see the route succeed. The basic problem is the route tries to do too much with one route. Booth apartments are too spread out for one route to cover.

Hopefully, we will have some redesigns that solve this problem.

[jpl02]

A couple of emails were received. Someone should be sending the drawing.

I received my drawings yesterday. I really appreciate it!

So it appears that we're still buying Gilligs, but not Advantages though. We're getting some of those super bad Gillig BRTs For those of you who want to see what they look like, go the following site

http://www.gillig.com/New%20GILLIG%20WEB/Brt.htm

Those things look totally bad! I'm so happy we're getting them!

[Florida]

WOW! We're getting these!!! I can't wait!!!!!

[cityboy05]

Those are nice aren't they! We have really come along way, and I am excited to see what happens next.

[csmurphy8885]

OH my my my! THats Hot

[jpl02]

I seen the most tackiest and ghetto thing today.............it was a StarMetro bus that still had the old TalTran paint job, and what they did is instead of repainting the bus, they just plopped a StarMetro logo over the TalTran logo, leaving the rest of the paint job intact. What the heck was that?!

Today was one of the days you hate public transit. A good friend and I were headed to Lake Ella for an event she helped sponsor, and it was our only alternative as she's in a wheelchair, and her PCA was unable to drive her. We got to the even half hour late because of that stooopid detour the routes 3 and 23 take due to Jefferson Street being closed. I had no idea of the detour, so we ended up missing 3 buses. We were waiting at the stop in front of the Sweet Shop, until we gave up and started walking, where we FINALLY see the damn route 3 coming by Wescott.

One of those days

[TravKoolBreeze]

I seen the most tackiest and ghetto thing today.............it was a StarMetro bus that still had the old TalTran paint job, and what they did is instead of repainting the bus, they just plopped a StarMetro logo over the TalTran logo, leaving the rest of the paint job intact. What the heck was that?!

Reminds me of MTA when they took over the PBL's in NYC

[Florida]

I've seen those patched up busses around town that you all speak of. My curiosity is wether or not there will be a different StarMetro design for the Older version busses like the one seen above.

[NewStar]

I've seen those patched up busses around town that you all speak of. My curiosity is wether or not there will be a different StarMetro design for the Older version busses like the one seen above.

Sorry for the poor looking buses. Getting all of the buses painted quickly is a very dynamic process. Also, 11 of those old buses will be replaced soon. To save money we might not paint them at all.

The paint design will remain the same for those old buses if painted. The real discussion is what to paint the buses we want to use for the commuter services. We need to make sure that people can tell the difference between the services.

Anyone going to be at SouthWood tomorrow night (TheToolMan?)

[Florida]

What time tomorrow night?

[Glenn]

What time tomorrow night?

TJ, The flyer I received said 6-8 PM on both the 17th (Monday) & the 20th (Tonight) at the SouthWood Community Center (where the big pool is across the street from the golf club house).

[Florida]

I missed it. Did anybody go?

[thetoolman]

TJ, The flyer I received said 6-8 PM on both the 17th (Monday) & the 20th (Tonight) at the SouthWood Community Center (where the big pool is across the street from the golf club house).

I guess no one else from the forum was there?

It was a nice presentation, and informative. Representatives were there from:

• Southwood/St. joe

• Cap Region Transporation Planning Agency

• Commuter Services of North Florida

• Star Metro

CRTPA was requesting input on the application of the LRTP - 2030 Transportation Plan and its implementation as guided by the CRTPA through federal, state and local funding.

Commuter Services promoted their Guaranteed Ride Home program for public transit users, bicyclists, and pedestrians, offering a free cab ride home in emergencies. They also talked about the ride sharing/carpooling program as a way to reduce transportation costs and impact for commuters.

Star Metro had one of their fancy new buses there for inspection. They also talked about the plans for changes to the transfer/layover system, shifting the location of transfers to the outer edges of town, preventing the need to transfer and lay over at CK Steele which can take more than half an hour. One such facility may be located at Southwood. Newstar - can you post a link to the map that was in your presentation?

Of specific interest to me, the commuter route from Southwood to Downtown was discussed. Starting now in August, specific routes and stops, schedules, and amenities have not been set, and input from the session will be used when make decisions. The plan will need to be submitted for approval to the City and other regulatory agencies, then publicised prior to its start in August. The buses will have free wifi, use the new reloadable fare cards as well as cash (but not credit cards, for security reasons), GPS tracking of the vehicle location, and will likely be put on a semi-commuter route with limited stops. Stops will be in Southwood, likely at Town Center at the CCOC at least. The route will travel to Downtown, though CK Steele will probably be a stop, not a termination point. Other downtown stops were suggested, such as the top of the Adams Street hill, so everyone could walk downhill to their office. Also, stops in the FSU and FAMU campuses are possible. Koger was also discussed as a stop on the route.

Suggestions included fewer stops in morning/afternoon drive times, and greater frequency (30 minutes or less). In midday or late, stops might include the Mall, or other locations.

Mass-transit-specific travel lanes (for buses to avoid traffic), light rail (a monorail?), and other ideas were also brainstormed.

Overall, a good meeting, though it could have been better attended. I am glad I went.

[Glenn]

Toolman, Thanks so much for the update & synopsis of the StarMetro meeting. Really sorry I wasn't able to attend the session tonight. It all sounds very progressive & forward thinking. Did they happen to mention if attendance at the other 2 sessions earlier in the week were any better than the Thursday evening meeting?

[thetoolman]

Toolman, Thanks so much for the update & synopsis of the StarMetro meeting. Really sorry I wasn't able to attend the session tonight. It all sounds very progressive & forward thinking. Did they happen to mention if attendance at the other 2 sessions earlier in the week were any better than the Thursday evening meeting?

Newstar said there were 15-20 there on monday, and the Tuesday event got cancelled because the venue (Betty Easly) was not available.

[Glenn]

Newstar said there were 15-20 there on monday, and the Tuesday event got cancelled because the venue (Betty Easly) was not available.

Oh...so you met/know NewStar...Cool!

Sorry to hear the daytime meeting at the CCOC got cancelled. I would think there would be a lot of interest from the State workers.

[NewStar]

Hey All,

The CCOC was canceled all because we could not get the word out fast enough. Once we have the inside track we will hold those meetings during the day.

I had an interesting email from the public I wanted to share with you.

"I write to let you know of my disappointment regarding the priorities you've chosen to pursue related to Tallahassee's bus service. As a city resident, I would welcome the chance to use the bus system to go to and from work each day. I lived in Europe for three years and was an avid and grateful user of public transportation. With gas prices rising, it would be a relief to use a less expensive and more environmentally sensitive method of daily travel.

I was excited to hear that the bus system was revamping. However, I'm baffled as to how renaming and repainting buses can be more important than creating routes and route frequencies that actually work. I have asked literally hundreds of Tallahassee residents what keeps them from riding the bus each day. Like me, their answer is always the system's inefficient routes and infrequent times. Most of us could care less about the system's name or whether it has televisions on the buses.

The buses in Prague weren't particularly clean, nor were they glamorous. They were efficient--on time, frequent, and set up to maximize a rider's ability to get from Point A to Point B--and everyone used them, even people with cars. When will our tax dollars go to support a bus system that actually works for its citizens? When will the routes be revamped and when will buses come more frequently than once an hour?

When that happens, you'll see people begin to use the system. Not before that."

The transit system's route redesign is in the works. But it will be a long road. The redesign will take about three years and we are about 6 months into that process.

We will hold A LOT of community listening sessions proposing the route changes.

There is a lot changing, just not that fast (gotta love government).