I went out of my way home today to ride the #364, a new bus route connecting Scottsdale to Langley Centre via 64th Ave. To check if buses would time up, I used TransLink’s mobile iPhone site (pretty darn good, btw). What I encountered however was a list that showed no stops along half the route.
Notice the gap in stops between 134 St and 166 St
Faced with such an oddity, I opened Google Maps to check if there was in fact bus stops along the middle stretch of 64th, and according to it, there wasn’t!
There should be a bus icon around where it says "13600"
So, when I transferred, I walked two Surrey blocks to get to the closest stop that existed, at least according to TransLink mobile and Google Maps.Â
Well, it turns out, as I ride the route, that there are in fact stops all along the bloody avenue.
Anyways, I get on the bus around 7:40pm, and it’s completely empty. I rode for most of the way, and not one person got on. I’ve faced this situation numerous times, whether I’m riding alone, or with only 5 other people. Seems like a waste of gas to me to be using such a large vehicle when obviously the demand isn’t there.Â
Without further ado, here’s two suggestions to improve all future transit riding experiences everywhere:
Suggestion #1: When introducing a new bus route, update your information so you don’t confuse your customers. I assume both TransLink mobile and Google Maps are taking their data from the same GTFS stream – if so, update the damn data files!Â
Suggestion #2: Be more flexible with vehicle usage. When ridership isn’t sufficient to warrant a 60 foot bus, only run that bus during peak hours, and use a Community Shuttle at all other times. And when a Community Shuttle route is so busy that it warrants a 40 foot bus, use that vehicle instead (as is already done on the C74 route).Â
/rant
I was going to point out the fact another new Surrey route, the 388, was also missing a large section of stops when I rechecked both on the TransLink site – it looks like all the stops are there on the Trip Planner. And I just checked one of those missing stops on my iPhone (#61171 – 64th E/B @ King George) – the mobile site doesn’t acknowledge that stop.
Re your suggestion #2 – I was recently on the #33 in Vancouver. For a bit, I was the only person on that bus. I agree that a shuttle should be used for a new route (like the 364 & 388) as customers get a feel for the service. Upgrade the bus (and/or frequency) as demand increases. The #84 is a recent example in terms of gradual increases in frequency and service period.
And the C74 uses artics?! Do you actually mean it uses standard 40-footers? So why was that route converted into a shuttle service to begin with?
Ah, my mistake – not 60 footers, 40 footers. I’m not exactly a bus connoisseur ;) Ugh, but it certainly is frustrating, isn’t it?
Hey hey,
I sent your post to a few folks in our web development department. You’re right, Google Maps had the wrong info. We contacted Google to ask why and it looks like they were pulling their data from an old directory. They’ve said they will reload the new data soon and make sure the stops will be up to date.
We’re still looking into why the mobile site didn’t reflect the right stops, but we did check the regular TransLink website and it shows all the right stops for the #364 when you pull it up.
I’ve also asked around about the community shuttle/40′ bus thing. Stay tuned: that info is still working its way back to me.
Jhenifer,
Not sure if you can answer this, but I checked Google Maps again today and the stops still aren’t they. Do you know how long it will take for Google to acquire and reload this new data?
Not certain. The answer from Google didn’t specify — just said they would be asking for a reload of the data. I do know that the last build they did was last Friday, so perhaps this Friday?
Let me know if it still hasn’t changed by then and I’ll ask around.
Btw the community shuttle/40′ bus answer is still coming.
Hi Paul,
So here at last are some answers re: the #364 vehicle lineup that might be useful to you.
First, CMBC doesn’t currently have any spare shuttles on hand, so the option you’ve identified is not a realistic option at the moment. But we are also only a few weeks into the new route, and CMBC’s planning department watches for six months to a year before making any kind of vehicle change. Strong growth is anticipated for the #364 ridership, and even two weeks in, operators have already reported that ridership is growing daily. There have already been some full buses in the mornings.
Second, it’s actually harder to interchange the vehicles on a route than you’d think. With the C74 shuttle/regular bus arrangement that you’ve mentioned, it actually took a year to get that vehicle lineup sorted out and in place. There are just some processes we must follow to get the vehicles in order, and to get community shuttle and regular transit operators lined up to drive the route. (Community shuttle drivers and regular transit operators have two different licensing classifications, so the operators can’t just be interchanged.)
So it can be done: it just isn’t necessarily a quick fix. But again, give the #364 some time — it’s only a few weeks in and growth is picking up.
And of course, let me know if there are further inquiries on this end.
Thanks,
Jhenifer