That EmX Bus is Empty
BY MIKE WEBER AND SCOTT REYNOLDS
Recently, Kevin Prociw of LCCRG created a short music video titled "That Emx Bus is Empty" which illustrated just how poorly utilized LTD's $43 million Gateway/River Bend line is. Tonight, this video was highlighted on KEZI 9 news, and Andy Vobora, LTD's Director of Service Planning, Accessibility and Marketing stated that "the video was shot during a time when numbers are typically low for a college town" and "having only been in service for about five or six months, it's probably a little too early to make a judgment about how successful the ridership is."
Let's rewind to a little less than two weeks ago, when LTD Communications Coordinator Lisa Van Winkle said on KEZI on July 28 that "Even though we had to reduce the total number of hours, because we're still attracting a higher ridership, our efficiency is actually better" and that Gateway EmX expansion has increased ridership for the EmX by 40%.
Too soon to be judged, or increased ridership by 40%? Are we confused, or is LTD confused?
Giving LTD the benefit of the doubt here, let's give Vobora's theory about college town numbers being low. The route to Gateway/River Bend does not run through any areas that have a large UO student population, and primarily serve the hospital, a few large employers north of Beltline Road (Symantec, Royal Caribbean), a few neighborhoods and the Gateway shopping district. LTD has claimed the majority of their riders are going to and from work. College/school is second, again according to LTD.
Given that the footage was filmed between 7 a.m. and noon on a Friday, this covers a time in the morning during which commuters are typically going to work. However, all there was to be found during the morning "rush hour" were mostly empty buses everywhere along the route. Considering the areas served by this route, student utilization of this route should not be a major factor, and even if it was, how effective a utilization of $43 million in capital improvements plus operating costs is this route?
But who knows anymore, as LTD can't stick to one story? VanWinkle thinks that rider numbers will go down in the fall, isn't that when the college students come back? But Vobora says this is typical for a college town right now to have empty buses. OOPS, just who is in charge there at LTD?
As has been well publicized, LTD is looking to spend $80-100 million to build a new EmX route out West 11th Avenue that would terminate near where the Wal-Mart store is. Yes, folks, a bus to Wal-Mart! As of now, it is very clear that LTD did not predict the future very well when it built the Gateway EmX line, and now it wants to apply for tens of millions of dollars of FEDERAL funds for another EmX line with, again, an unproven need. We received an e-mail on March 7, 2011 from Vobora in response to a question asked about how utilized buses currently are along West 11th. The response was that about 900 boardings per day occur along West 11th between Garfield and Commerce streets. When one considers that the proposed EmX line would have 80 runs in each direction, for a total of over 160 trips, that works out to fewer than 6 boardings per trip based on current ridership! Spending $80-100 million to run even more nearly empty buses seems like an absolutely asinine proposal!
LTD is looking more like a three ringed circus then a transit service. EmX buses empty for half the day, running red lights and an LTD bus going the wrong way down a one way street. LTD was politely telling a Facebook community page to remove their page even though it was 100% within the guidelines for a Facebook community page, and create a Facebook group? Lost funding for the student bus pass program? What is going on at LTD? Things have only become worse since former GM Mark Pangborn retired. It looks like he got out just in the nick of time.
But there is a silver lining. LTD just received a FEDERAL grant to replace the 20 year old bus signs that are still readable. That is on the remaining routes left., not the EmX lines. See, the important stuff is getting done.
