When it comes to public transit, the city of Seattle is in a good place. Recent studies have shown that the citizens of the city are utilizing public transport in record numbers. In 2017 alone, the Metro bus system transported a record 122.2 million riders, the Sound Transit Link light rail system carried a record 23.2 million riders, and 9.6 million passengers chose the Metro-operated Sound Transit Express service. When it comes to these popular forms of transport, the people have made their voices heard, and the city has listened. Per King County Executive, Dow Constantine: “People wanted more bus… Read more »
Tourist travel by bus allows the entire group to stay together so that you don’t have to worry about waiting around for anyone to catch up or arrive at your final destination. But there can be some challenges that come along with taking long distance trips, and we want to help you conquer them. Beat your bus ride blues with a few of our long distance travel tips below. Designate an Activities Coordinator Sitting on a bus for hours at a time would cause anyone to get stir crazy. That’s why it’s a good idea for groups to elect an… Read more »
A trial of a Ford-operated, commuter ride-share service app was approved for launch in London this past January. Chariot, the business providing the ride share services through the app, will allow passengers to pay a premium over a regular bus fare price for pre-booked trips running along four routes. As shared mobility services reach all-time popularity levels, vehicle manufacturers such as Ford are turning away from a traditional industry platform and toward a more user-friendly model. The ride-share service is part of an effort to ramp up what Ford calls their microtransit plan. The use of the Chariot app is… Read more »
2018 is the year of public transit’s revival, as cities nationwide increasingly look to limit congestion, cut back on car exhaust, and make their streets more enjoyable for everyone. With the push to go green, focusing new attention on public transit, especially in regards to buses, will be instrumental in future development. The first major trend involves the experimentation of BRT, or what’s known as bus rapid transit. In Indianapolis, work will begin this year on a 13-mile rapid transit line which will run across the city. When done, buses are expected to pick up passengers from stops every ten… Read more »
While many U.S. cities find their public transportation systems in decline, Pittsburgh is one of the few cities bucking the trend, according to a recent article in urbanist publication, CityMetric. The Steel City’s public transit system is the 26th largest in the nation, and boasts a usage rate that is a staggering 92 percent above the national average. How has Pittsburgh been able to accomplish this? CityMetric describes a number of combined efforts by Pittsburgh’s local government and port authority to be proactive in addressing, then remedying issues. The article posits that other major cities could benefit by taking Pittsburgh’s… Read more »
Most people don’t enjoy riding the bus to work. Some people do it because they don’t have any other transportation options, while others do it because it’s the quickest way to get from point A to point B in the morning. But very few people actually enjoy waiting for the bus to arrive and then crowding into the bus once it gets there. That could change in the very near future for many people, though, as public Wi-Fi is starting to be incorporated into more and more forms of public transportation. Public buses, in particular, are starting to be outfitted… Read more »
They’ve been in films, on television, and have become a memorable part of the American fabric. Buses are, without question, fixtures of modern Americana. Here we describe a few of the most famous buses in American history. The Freedom Riders’ Bus In defiance of the Jim Crow laws, and at a time when courage was necessary to quell unjustifiable acts of discrimination, a group of 13 students of different races traveled together on Trailways and Greyhound buses headed to New Orleans in 1960. At the time the Supreme Court had ruled in favor of desegregation, and although the Freedom Riders,… Read more »
In Tokyo, the celebration of Bonenkai is lifting off as young professionals and university students rush after-hour cocktail parties, clubs, and bars to drink away their troubles. The holiday, whose name in Japanese literally means “forget the year gathering,” is celebrated month-long in December, and although a 2015 study determined that Japanese citizens are drinking less and less, Bonenkai is still expected to turn out crowds. What better excuse does a transport company have for capitalizing on the waves of binge-drinking party goers who will be taking buses back to their apartments at the end of each night? The “Oversleeping… Read more »
Here’s good news: the number of passengers who use Amtrak train services in the state of Nevada has increased 19.9 percent from 2015. Here’s even better news for our industry: public bus transportation is still reigning king, with a 48 percent increase in vehicle miles traveled between 2000 and 2015, the largest upsurge in the nation. This statistic added to our thought pool of imponderables: would these numbers climb even more if buses were designed like trains? The idea has been done before. In the 1990s, architect Doug Suisman took a dig at the social stigma surrounding public transportation by… Read more »
Mobile adventurers are putting their spin on an antiquated version of the American dream; they’re opting to live by way of school bus. This “skoolie” trend lifestyle is making its rounds through America, with couples and families purchasing used buses and converting them into tiny homes. The tiny home aficionados over at Midwest Wanderers may have topped any decked-out school bus we’ve seen up to this point. Purchased for the pocket change sum of $4,000, the couple transformed an old school bus into a mini utopia, equipping it with a four-burner stove, skylights, and two beds. Another couple from Arkansas… Read more »
