Dear Dick,
I have a wish for you, a wonderful wish. I wish that your car would break down and be unfixable and that you could not get a new one. Then you would have the wonderful privilege of depending on the UTA.
I believe you would find it so much fun. It starts with you having to walk four or more blocks to your bus stop. But hey, exercise is good for you right? You know the heat in the summer, the cold in the winter and the falling on the ice? That’s all great because you develop coordination and get the chance to acclimate to the weather.
But the trip has just started. Your bus arrives just as your transfer is turning the corner without you. But this is no reason to be discouraged. You only have 50 minutes to wait until the next bus leaves.
Perhaps now would be a good time to mention my suggested bus survival kit. It includes a book to read, preferably a really exciting
one to keep you entertained on those long waits in the heat or cold.
Now that it is summer don’t forget that sunblock, lots of water and perhaps a snack to tie you over while you wait that hour for the next bus. Oh, and because there are no restrooms located near the bus stops, don’t forget that adult diaper.
You finally arrive at your destination late, tired and very frustrated. Soon you get to the best time of the day—quitting time! You are so excited because the train is running late. You’re tired, ready to go home, and when you finally get to your station ready to catch a bus back home, you realize that no more buses are leaving the station tonight.
Seriously Dick, I have a novel idea – one so simple, so unique and so marvelous that I’m surprised you haven’t already thought of it. Why don’t you have the people who plan the schedules actually have to ride and depend on UTA for transportation? Does it take too much thought to know that someone who actually rides the bus would be qualified to plan the trips? I know you have people who are more qualified for the job because they have a degree in engineering or city planning. Come on whatever happed to common sense?
Is it just too logical to expect people who plan systems to actually know how to use them? Or in the very least listen to the drivers and people who actually do use them.
Dick, I bet if you had to depend on that bus you would go crazy, and the transit system would soon be changed.
I do wish you the happiest of Fourth of July, one without a car. But there’s no need to worry, you can still go to those fireworks because Trax is operating on extended hours. Good luck trying to get to your home from the TRAX station because the bus service is on Sunday’s schedule, which means the bus you need might not be running at all or that it stopped running at 3 PM. But no worries, TRAX is running late for your convenience.
Sincerely,
Hopefully soon to be ex-bus rider,
Kachina Choate
