Volunteer Opportunities
Madison Area Bus Advocates depends on you to help maintain, improve, and expand our bus system. You can help in all kinds of ways, including ways you might not expect. Your imagination is the limit. Some ways to help MABA include:
- Donate Your Talent
Whether you enjoy designing, drawing, photography, making videos, writing skits, acting, writing songs, singing, poetry, talking with people or something else, use your talents to help MABA. Your imagination is the limit. Share your ideas with info@busadvocates.org - Adopt a Bus Stop
Help your neighbors by keeping stops clear of snow and debris. Well maintained stops are inviting and provide a friendly image of your area. Ideally, stops should be 5' wide. Park your car far enough away to provide buses sufficient clearance when pulling up to the curb. - Advocate for Special Bus Passes
Metro Transit has devised a Commute Card that, starting in 2010, enables an organization of any size to provide a year-long unlimited ride pass to its employees, members or students on an easily billable average-fare rate. Suggest that your employer, school or organization provide special bus passes. Currently, there is a Federal tax advantage to doing so when the commute is employment-related called Commuter Choice. For more information about any aspect of the Commute Card program, contact Peg Anthony at (608) 266-6545 or panthony@cityofmadison.com. - Give Metro Feedback
Have a simple idea that could improve things? Ever been passed up by a bus at a stop? Ever been given service above and beyond your expectation? How is Metro to know any of these things if you do not tell them? Quality service and operator morale depend on your feedback. You can phone Metro's Customer Service with your suggestion/complaint/compliment at (608) 266-4466 [TTY/Textnet (866) 704-2316], send email to mymetrobus@cityofmadison.com or fill out the feedback form on the web at https://www.cityofmadison.com/metro/contact/feedback/index.cfm - Attend Meetings and Testify
Attend meetings on transportation and land use to meet people, listen and learn. Make sure transportation is always a consideration and promote public transportation where and when it is not now available. Whenever there is a proposed fare change, service change, or route restructure, know what those proposed changes are and testify on how the changes would affect you, your neighbors and your community. The quality of our service depends on you. - Stay Informed
Being informed is an important role of a citizen in a democratic society. Madison Area Bus Advocates has an email listserv that has a fast turnaround, and can help inform people of the latest developments in a rapidly changing situation. The listserv is also a mechanism for sharing what you know with others on a more leisurely basis. Join as joining is free, and does not automatically make you a member of MABA although most members of MABA are also on the listserv. - Write Newsletter Articles or Letters to the Editor
Keep the issue of good bus service at the forefront of people's minds by writing letters to the editor or articles for your neighborhood newsletter. Can you provide tips to neighbors based on your experience? Are there simple improvements to the present situation that would make riding easier? What might help make the bus more attractive to people? What do you want and how can we get there? - Contact Government Officials
Contact your Alder, Mayor, County Supervisor, County Executive, State Representatives, Governor, Federal Representatives and President. Tell them that good bus service is critical and ask them to take leadership in promoting public transportation at the city, county, state and/or federal level. - Share Your Research
Good transportation policy depends on informed decision making. You can help improve the bus system by researching one or more topics and preparing a summary of your findings that includes a set of recommendations. Here are some suggested topics.