MetroRiderLA

Image courtesy of donielle.

After living in Compton for over a month now and seeing those white buses come and go and not being able to figure out where they went or the fare nor schedule, I decided to take matters into my own hands. I had previously tried to contact the city of Compton for such information and I was told to call 1.800.COMMUTE. When I told them that I was more interested in something in a written format, if perhaps they could mail me something like MTA and most other agencies do, I was told they did not do that. I was told the best I could do was to ask a bus driver for a schedule. How was I suppose to do that when I had no idea of the schedule or route.

Now I know they have a new shopping center that has a Target, Best Buy, Home Depot among other retailers, I decided to check out the MTA Trip Planner to find out if it was possible to get there taking the elusive white bus. It told me to get the route 2 bus on the NE corner of Alondra and Wilmington which could take me to the MLK Transit Center across the street from the Compton Blue Line Station. Upon arrival there, I was to get the route 4 which would drop me off in the corner of Santa Fe and Greenleaf, one block from the Shopping Center.

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Image courtesy of mattlogelin.

What makes a good bus ride? This is the question posed over at EcoWorldly in an article that traverses the world in search of the best (and worst) buses. Gavin Hudson, the car-free author of the story, lists three key elements that he has found to be the difference between a good bus and a bad bus, they are:

1. You have access to a good schedule and map of the bus routes.
2. You feel clean and comfortable on the bus.
3. You feel safe on the bus.

Here’s my list:

1. Your bus comes frequently, as in every 5-10 minutes. Schedules be damned, I want to walk to a bus stop and know that my bus is going to come within 5 minutes, so even if I miss a bus I know I’m not screwed.
2. You aren’t packed like sardines. The only thing worse than waiting forever at a bus stop is having to squeeze onto a standing room only bus.
3. All stops are clearly announced. Automatic stop announcements are a life saver, because the only thing worse than waiting forever for a bus only to be packed in like a sardine is missing your stop because it wasn’t announced.

Those are my three, what are yours?

Related:

• 10 Ways to Improve L.A.’s Public Transportation System
• MetroRiderLA Forum: Speeding Up Buses