Buses World News: PUBLIC SERVICE * USA - Not Your Grandfather’s Greyhound: Buses Take Off for Inter-City Travel

Buses are a transportation success story

New York,NY,USA -The New York Times, by Erica Schlaikjer -July 21, 2010: -- Last year, the story says, bus service increased by 5 percent, and it rose nearly 10 percent in 2008, according to research led by Joseph Schwieterman, from Depaul University’s Chaddick Institute for Metropolitan Development, whose findings have been featured in a long line of news articles over the past year, hearkening the arrival of an inter-city bus renaissance... The New York Times highlights popular long-distance services like BoltBus and Megabus, which offer cheap express service between major cities like New York City and Washington, D.C., and offer added bonuses like online ticketing, guaranteed seats, curbside departures, and on-board technology (i.e. free Wi-Fi.) Who ever said buses can’t be cool? ... Nancy Kete, the former director of EMBARQ commented on the potential of bus travel when the Obama administration first announced its high-speed rail plan. “The President is on the right track,” she said, “But there’s a missing mode in the plan. To complement rail, we also need to help cities build high-quality, high-capacity bus rapid transit systems, which can offer good high-speed service, but at a fraction of the cost of rail” ... (Photo by Somewhat Frank: "Bolt for a buck" -- by bus! -- to New York City)

* California - L.A. officials to mark 20th anniversary of Metro Rail system. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority says there have been more than a billion boardings on its rail and bus lines since the Blue Line opened. But critics say ridership has been reduced

Los Angeles,CAL,USA-The Los Angeles Times, by Dan Weikel -July 23, 2010: -- Los Angeles officials will hold a major event Friday near Staples Center to mark the 20-year expansion of urban rail service in the county and what they see as a dynamic shift that will transform the nation's car capital into a model for mass transit... But although the region now has a gleaming system of subways and light-rail trains, some transportation experts say the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority's $8-billion effort — less operating costs — has done little to reduce traffic congestion or increase the use of mass transit much beyond the level in 1985, when planning for the Metro Blue Line began... Rather than bolster ridership, these experts say, the emphasis on rail has come at the expense of the MTA's vast network of buses and may have cost the agency at least 1.5 billion passenger boardings from 1986 to 2006... The solution is not more Priuses, the solution is public transportation. Miles per gallon per person is a statistic that could tip the argument... (Photo by Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times / June 3, 2010: Marcia Baker, 21, gives boyfriend Ramon Diaz, 20, a kiss while riding the Metro Blue Line with fellow commuters in Los Angeles. The Blue Line cuts up the middle of Los Angeles County from Long Beach to downtown Los Angeles. The 22-mile light-rail line is the oldest in Los Angeles and among the busiest in the nation)

Labels: public transportation services