It's Yuletide Jeers From Metro Bus Riders

[musicman]

The year-end holidays bring glad tidings and surprises tied with ribbons, but Metropolitan Transit Authority officials found little cheer Friday as they reviewed a year's worth of customer complaints.

Statistics for fiscal year 2007, which ended Sept. 30, show complaints to Metro's Customer Information Center increased 28 percent over the previous year.

Complaints about unsafe driving more than doubled, while those claiming rude treatment by bus operators increased 42 percent. Complaints about buses and equipment rose almost as much.

One of Metro's increases, though, came in a very objective and important category: accidents. Bus accidents increased 24 percent, to 534 from 430, and by 18 percent on a per-mile basis. Rail accidents continued to fall, though, to 37 from 43, and also declined on a per-mile basis.

Metro's 0.83 bus accidents per 100,000 miles traveled is much better than Dallas Area Rapid Transit's figure of 1.77, but DART's 0.13 light rail accidents over the same distance easily beats Metro's 4.0. Unlike Metro, most of Dallas' system is separated from street traffic.

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Metro's 0.83 bus accidents per 100,000 miles traveled is much better than Dallas Area Rapid Transit's figure of 1.77, but DART's 0.13 light rail accidents over the same distance easily beats Metro's 4.0. Unlike Metro, most of Dallas' system is separated from street traffic.

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Good to know I can count on the folks over at the Chronicle to perpetuate the Houston Versus Dallas "imaginary challenge." But, I guess Dallas is Houston's measuring stick in many ways, so it has to be taken as a compliment. Next time, though. . .before you decide to just pull a city out of your hat for comparison purposes, at least explain the similarities that justiy the comparison.

[RedScare]

Most people in Houston know the similarities between Dallas and Houston....though they probably do not know that DART's accident rate on the 3.1 miles of rail that runs in the streets are also higher than Houston's.

[Parrothead]

Thank God they actually read the complaints. I can't tell you how many times the 131 Memorial Express would pass DH and the group by downtown--no full bus or anything--the guy would just totally ignore them, most likely b/c he was late.

Frustrating bus service is just one chunk of the problem. Getting the smelly, drunk homeless people off the train is another.