Bus Drama 101

Ah, this is the life. The daily bus drama has never been finer than this last week. This is, well, like the ultimate bus drama...no more bus.

We've been fighting the cancellation of our route for the last week and a half and have basically gained no ground. Oh, they say that they are trying to keep it alive, and they're working on alternatives, and the like, but I'm afraid they might not be quite as motivated as we are. It's just a hunch.

There were some pretty nasty emails written, so I hear, that don't shed a kind light on the 'powers that be' at the bus HQ. They were brutally honest, to be honest. Here's a few snippets:

"we feel that 'the bus company' made this decision prematurely and without communication or regard for the riders of the route"

"There have been no appeals for new riders or any communication that something would need to be done"

"Recognizing that the cost of fuel was rising dramatically, we all expected a rate increase, but it never came"

"Was any consideration given to restructuring the route to include other stops?"

"At this time, given the rapidly increasing price of fuel, you should be expanding, not contracting"

"This approach goes against the entire concept of mass transit"

"Was this the only alternative? Why were we not contacted with options before the decision was made? Was this really very well thought out?"

"There have been no advertisements. It seems like a few well-placed billboards on I-5/205/580 leveraging the increase in fuel costs could dramatically increase ridership"

And the best for last...reducing our carbon footprint! "It seems that the reduction in pollutants, an the resultant positive image this presents to a population concerned about global warming and high levels of carbon emissions, would be a significantly important factor that should be considered as well."

I wish I could claim to have written these, but I cannot. Aren't they all just brutal? Every one of them is pretty much common sense articulated.

Oh, by the way, I would comment on todays drive in, but I can't remember it. I was COMPLETELY out. Looking forward to that same level of awareness going home.