Health & Fitness
Train In Vain, Bus In Disgust
This blog will chronicle my usage of public transit in the Atlanta area, in an attempt to vent and provide solutions on how to make the system better
MARTA got an "F" from me yesterday.
The eastbound train arrived on-time at the Avondale station somewhere between 6:50-6:55 (can't remember), in enough time for me to catch the scheduled 7:05 departing bus. Got to the bus terminal, no bus, could be a good sign, that it hasn't got there yet, or a bad sign that I just missed it. Well, around 7:05-ish, sure enough, the 114 pulls up! Oddly, the driver passes the stand for the 114, and proceeds to the station entrance to drop off the lone rider (and his bicycle). How courteous! I'll just wait for him to pull back around and pick me and the rest of the waiting riders up...
Well, the driver LEAVES the bus terminal, heading to the Laredo bus facility, i assume. Maybe he ran out of gas? I dunno, never saw him again to ask him!!! WHAT??? Ok, maybe that bus went out of service (the sign didn't say that) and the REAL 7:05 bus is right behind...no dice...more passengers show up, and this is where it gets real disheartening and empathetic.
Find out what's happening in Decatur-Avondale Estatesfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
A girl and her friend who are 1st-time riders of this bus are frantically trying to get to a nearby shopping center to pick up some shoes before the store closes at 8:00...had the 7:05 bus picked us up AS ADVERTISED, they coulda bought, tried on and walked back to the station for the next bus in that time! Well, the "next" bus came, at 7:32...and sat there, until 7:53...someone asked the driver what happened to the "previous" bus...He said "one of the buses broke down at the Health Care Facility"...????...you mean, the bus that I saw drop the bike rider off?
Long story short, I think the girl made it to the shoe store right at closing, but this was one of those experiences that would really turn somebody off from CHOOSING to ride MARTA...
Find out what's happening in Decatur-Avondale Estatesfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
What should've happened? Once they knew the scheduled 7:50 bus would be late, they should've IMMEDIATELY put another bus in service at the station to pick up the passengers who have probably been waiting since the earlier bus left (6:25)...or, the 7:36 bus should've picked up and left as soon as it got there, and then put another bus in service to catch the 7:50 crowd...
