The following is a report from one of our members who has been participating in the Downtown Street Closure Task Force meetings. We will be talking more about this at the next meeting, so bring good ideas that we can pass along to the task force.

From SG:

The following is what I said to the Task Force concerning the downtown special events:

Why can't the bus drivers, security, or Cap Metro supervisors report when trash cans at bus stops are overflowing? Are the trash cans on some kind of schedule or does Cap Metro depend on the public calling them to let them know which trash can needs to be dumped?

When I went to the public meeting this past Tuesday, I was told the anouncement system is on a chip and it has to be reprogramed. Apprently Cap Metro DID reprogram the changes but they did NOT program in all the changes. Route 325 now says "transfer for Route 10" when it used to be "transfer for Route 15". Cap Metro missed removing "transfer for route 101" at Mearns Meadow and Rutland.

Since Capital Metro currently charges $1.00 for a schedule book, you would think they could proof read it prior to sending it to press. If you look at page 2 (2008 - 2009 Holiday Service) you will see that the heading "Day after Thanksgiving" is listed twice. If you look at the date under the "Day after Thanksgiving" on the right side of the page, you will see it should REALLY be "Day after Christmas". Perhaps Capital Metro should have a program that if a mistake in the schedule book is reported to them, that the person reporting it gets a free schedule book for life.

There are some bus stops that have the times of some of the buses that serve that stop. The only problem is when there are time changes, Capital Metro DOES NOT change the signs and put new ones up with the CORRECT scheduled arrival time. I tppk my schedule book with me yesterday and looked at the time at the bus stop. I then compared it to the time in the schedule book. There is a difference of 5 minutes. I wish the schedules for all the busses that served a particular stop had the time posted.

We finally have some ridership numbers on the commuter rail, and it's a bit unsettling for bus riders who don't plan to ride it on up to Leander. In the latest American-Statesman piece, we see that the rail project is running over cost and past promised deadlines. OK, that's not news to anyone. What we learn is that the six cars that Capital Metro ordered from Switzerland have a total carrying capacity of 2-3,000 per day.

When Capital Metro changes the routes, I would think that the anouncement systems on all the buses could be changed within a month. The anouncement system on route 1M still says "transfer for 101" when it gets to Rutland and Mearns Meadow. Route 101 now goes down North Lamar to the Tech Ridge Park and Ride. It does NOT go to Rutland and Mearns Meadow any more.

Whay are Public Meetings (including Board Meetings) held at the time they are? I work in EXTREME NORTH AUSTIN and it is impossible to get to the meetings by bus when they are held when they are.

The BRU-ATX drafted the following at our September 13, 2008 monthly meeting and presented it to the Capital Metro Board of Directors at the September 29 board meeting.

September 29, 2008

To the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board of Directors:

"Capital Metro, however, makes a strong case that it needs a fare increase to maintain and expand the current level of service."

- Austin American-Statesman, May 15, 2008

Having lived in Central Austin for thirty-three years using the Bus system as my main form of transportation, I watched the city grew into a large international destination while the bus routes are locked into to a 1950s era segregated Texas city. I am an East Austinite but I often need to go over to the other side, West Austin has very few bus routes and no rational reason for what there is. On a recent Sunday I needed to go to Northwest Hills only to learn that there are no buses on Sunday west of Burnet Rd, the same when I had to go North Central to the Wells Branch area.