Routing and Levels of Service
Madison Area Bus Advocates's Strategic Plan calls for at least 6 different types of bus routes or service:
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1. core service running almost all the time
2. direct commuter service to and from outside Madison
3. peak commuter service with limited stops within Madison
4. circulators and shuttles
5. service for special need populations
6. connectors to intercity transport carriers
Opinion
- Bus rapid transit, other simple changes could speed service - Oct. 10, 2009
- Why I prefer to drive to campus - Oct. 7, 2009
- Bus ridership up, and we should build on that - March 18, 2008
- Bus rider statistics can't be trusted - March 14, 2008
- How to make our bus system work - February 1, 2008
- Marooned In Madison--Misadventures On The Metrobus - August 18, 2007
- Buses Should Still Run In Bad Weather, March 7, 2007
Circulators and Shuttles
- Return of Route 10—right past Willy Street Co-op - Sept. 2009
- Metro Transit Will Start Shuttle Service, Jan. 1, 2007
Bus Shelters as Taxi Stands?
Connectors to Intercity Transport Carriers
Changes Planned for Fall of 2008
Reports of impending route changes were released to the press before being made available to the public. Unfortunately, those articles report that ridership was almost as high in 2007 as in 1982. That is almost surely inaccurate and misleading but is what Metro is telling journalists. Here is a brief comment to that effect and a rebuttal.
Informational Pieces
- Bus change plans get backlash - April 16, 2008
- Metro riders rip proposed changes - April 16, 2008
- Metro Proposes Big Bus Route Fixes - March 12, 2008
- Bus system has growth plan - March 11, 2008
Opinion Pieces
- Madison Metro Is Committing Suicide of 'A Thousand Cuts' - April 12, 2008
- Metro system can be enhanced by state's approval of RTAs - April 19, 2008
- Bus Ridership Figures Not What They Appear - March 12, 2008
- Bus ridership up, and we should build on that - March 18, 2008
Rerouting in the Fall of 2006
Metro Transit's restructuring undermined welcome innovations with undue emphasis on cuts. Metro Transit called the rerouting "improvements" and "efficiences" but failed to also say that those changes often involved major service cuts and continued a trend of declining bus service. Metro held a Public Hearing May 22, 2006 regarding the changes. Many thought the outcome a foregone conclusion.
Informational Pieces
- Take the long way home: Metro cuts hamper service, Dec. 17, 2007
- Some Metro Changes Take Effect Today, Aug. 27, 2006
- Metro Bus Service Changes Begin Sunday On Most Routes, Aug. 26, 2006
- Transit Board Approves Metro Bus Route Changes, May 23, 2006
- Service Change Proposal Booklet - May 8, 2006
- South Side Reaction Mixed To City's Proposed Bus Changes, April 7, 2006
- Students could see bus route changes, March 28, 2006
- Metro Bus Changes, March 26, 2006
Opinion Pieces
- Madison Metro's New Bus Schedule Is A Headache, Disservice To Many Riders
- Nov. 7, 2006 - Metro, mayor ignore bus-dependent, low-income poor - August 29, 2006
- Service Is The Key To Increasing Ridership - July 25, 2006
- Bus Service Cuts And Fare Hikes Not Good Long-term Strategy - June 2, 2006
- Metro Bus Cuts Will Create Hardship - June 1, 2006