JGraspo Posted October 4, 2005 Share Posted October 4, 2005 This trip planner is pretty cool.A few more impovements to make Metro more user friendly is always a plus.Chronicle articleMeto trip plannerWasn't there a thread on other stuff metro was planning on doing to make it more user friendly?Like buses that would change red lights green if it was late.and stops that would tell you when the next bus would be Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sevfiv Posted October 4, 2005 Share Posted October 4, 2005 i like it, and it seems to provide good detail...i just hope that the actual rides match up to what the planner says Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lowbrow Posted October 4, 2005 Share Posted October 4, 2005 Interesting, to get from uptown to westchase they suggest going via "Smith & Polk", ie downtown. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sevfiv Posted October 4, 2005 Share Posted October 4, 2005 yeah, after searching more, it suggested going WAY off the path to get from home to work... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lowbrow Posted October 4, 2005 Share Posted October 4, 2005 Perhaps it has a bias for less used routes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Original Timmy Chan's Posted October 4, 2005 Share Posted October 4, 2005 I was surprised to see that I can make it from my house to work with only one transfer, and only 0.3 miles of walking. That wouldn't be so bad...except that it takes 4 times as long on the bus as in my car. It would save me about $3.00 a day, though.I have a 15-mile drive each way to work that takes me 20 minutes (I drive against rush-hour traffic), plus I take the Westpark Tollway. So that's 30 miles/day in my 30 mpg car, or one gallon of gas per day. Assuming $3.00 in gas per day, plus $2.00 in tolls per day, it costs me a total of $5.00/day to drive to work. An all-day bus pass is $2.00/day, which would save me $3.00/day...or $780.00/year assuming 5 work days/week, 52 weeks/year.Here's the kicker, though. According to Metro's schedule, it would take 70 minutes on the bus each way, plus a 0.3 mile walk (which takes 9 minutes at a 2 mph pace). That adds up to 80 minutes of travel each way, or an EXTRA 2 hours of travel/day.So...here's my question: is it worth $780/year to save myself 520 extra hours of travel per year? Hmmm...I value my time at more than $1.50/hour, so my answer is...I'LL DRIVE MY CAR! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ssullivan Posted October 5, 2005 Share Posted October 5, 2005 It's about time! The transit systems of every other major city in this country have an online trip planner like this for ages. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ecal_in_Taipei Posted October 5, 2005 Share Posted October 5, 2005 So...here's my question: is it worth $780/year to save myself 520 extra hours of travel per year? Hmmm...I value my time at more than $1.50/hour, so my answer is...I'LL DRIVE MY CAR!Don 't forget to factor in the ~8000 miles a year on the car and wear/tear maintenance. Still I agree, 70 minutes each way is ridiculous for a 15 mile journey. take the car Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedScare Posted October 5, 2005 Share Posted October 5, 2005 An all-day bus pass is $2.00/day, which would save me $3.00/day...or $780.00/year assuming 5 work days/week, 52 weeks/year.Here's the kicker, though. According to Metro's schedule, it would take 70 minutes on the bus each way, plus a 0.3 mile walk (which takes 9 minutes at a 2 mph pace). That adds up to 80 minutes of travel each way, or an EXTRA 2 hours of travel/day.So...here's my question: is it worth $780/year to save myself 520 extra hours of travel per year? Hmmm...I value my time at more than $1.50/hour, so my answer is...I'LL DRIVE MY CAR!Actually, METRO has a monthly pass for $35, and a yearly pass for $315, so your savings could be $940 to $985 annually. I have found the best way to see if this works for you is to try it one or two days. You may find the snooze time or newspaper reading time is worth the extra travel time...or not. Only way to find out is to try it. 80 minutes versus 20-30 minutes might be a deal killer for me, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidtownCoog Posted October 5, 2005 Share Posted October 5, 2005 except that it takes 4 times as long on the bus as in my carIt's not about getting there quicker, it's about "getting you there from here". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Original Timmy Chan's Posted October 5, 2005 Share Posted October 5, 2005 I understand the car wear & tear argument, but my way of looking things is...that's what I bought the car for! I bought it so I wear it and tear it, not so it could sit in the driveway.Before we bought our last car a few years ago, I looked into taking the bus to work. At that time I lived in an apartment 5 miles from my office, and only had to make two turns to get to work (I only drove on two streets). I figured, "how hard can it be to get there by bus?" Well, I found out I would have to take 3 buses and 70 minutes to get to work. I had WALKED the 5 miles home from work in nearly the same amount of time! All that being said...when it comes time to buy a car again, I'll reconsider the bus again. I've got a few more years left in my car, but who knows what gas will cost at that time? Maybe when the new light rail lines are completed they will be a viable option...maybe I'll change jobs by then... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidtownCoog Posted October 5, 2005 Share Posted October 5, 2005 The best ride in town is the HOVs. But not everybody is lucky enough to work downtown. Word of advice on the HOV:The 6:50 bus smell like dry-cleaning, while the 8:05 smells like bed. Take the 6:50. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbigtex56 Posted April 25, 2007 Share Posted April 25, 2007 Don't put too much faith in the trip planner. I recently needed to take a bus to the 4200 block of the Southwest Freeway. According to Metro's trip planner, I could take either the 25 Richmond or 53 Westheimer Limited and get off on Richmond @ Drexel, with a 1/4 mile walk to my destination. This may be true, technically - if one is willing to cross Hwy 59 on foot . Otherwise it results in an unnecessary additional half mile (or more) of walking east back to Weslayan, crossing under the freeway, then back west along the 59 feeder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAK Posted April 25, 2007 Share Posted April 25, 2007 The 6:50 bus smell like dry-cleaning, while the 8:05 smells like bed. Take the 6:50.That's funny... I guess the 6:50 is the folks who get up early and prepare, and the 8:05 is the "Oh S#!T!" people... like me...Fortunately, I work from home... it always smells like bed, except for when I travel, which then smells like dry cleaning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scharpe St Guy Posted April 26, 2007 Share Posted April 26, 2007 Ok lets discuss the Metro Trip Planner. Yesterday I dropped of my car to the mechanic to have them do a fine tooth comb to look for any problems as my extended warranty coverage is ending in approx 500 miles. My wife had a quarterly work thing after work so instead of bothering or a co-worker I decided I would give Metro a try.I was scheduled to catch the 82 bus from Kirkwood and Westheimer at 6:11pm with drop off downtown roughly at Jefferson and Milam at 7:10pm. I thought this isn't too bad and then I would catch the 249 bus at 7:17pm and get dropped off at the Eastwood Transit Center at 7:24pm and a short walk home.The 82 bus picked me up at 6:14pm and didn't get downtown till 7:28pm. At which point I then called Metro and they advised me that the next 249 would arrive at 7:47pm. I caught this bus and it made quick time to ETC.Over all it took approx 2 hours on the bus and a total of 2hrs45min from leaving my office till walking in my door and $1 fare.Quite frankly it was quite bad especially the 82 bus where a big discussion was going on about checking into the County jail for traffic offenses (no license, insurance, tickets, etc...), having just got out of jail on Friday from 8 months in Beaumont and the other guy got out a month after he went in and the next guy was freshly out of jail as well for distribution to an undercover, etc.... I heard everything and it was mainly related to drugs, serving time, etc.... What amazed me was how casual these guys spoke of jail and serving time and giving each other pointers on who to talk too, what to ask for in order to get a 2for1 deal, or become a trustee, or ........ Just a whole other life I guess that I'm not frequently exposed to.Anyhow it was entertaining, an adventure, and a great reminder of why I don't ride metro.Regards,Scharpe St Guy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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