Citizens' Daily Lobby

The major problem with the Little Rock CAT bus system is the route frequency, currently 1/2 hour between runs, coupled with the poor coordination of major transfers.  Today, I could have ridden the bus, in spite of the 90 plus degree heat at 8:00 this morning, but I had an appointment to make in the afternoon.  Making the transfers would have cost me at least an additional hour, bringing my total bus time to something like 2.5 hours for the day.  Even for an intrepid evangelist of mass transit, this is an unacceptable waste of time.

In my opinion, the bus system here is stuck marketing to those who have no other options for transportation and the very few people who live within a few blocks from work.     Bus stop amenities are an incomplete afterthought, as one would expect of a system designed for the downtrodden and underserved.  Ironically, demonstrating more humanity to those less fortunate would probably have the added benefit of increasing bus ridership.   If  the middle and upper classes are ever to embrace mass transit, there must be an effort to make it attractive.    I don’t believe there are many people out there, however sincere their desire to do something good for the planet, who will sacrifice their precious time to sit out in the elements (read harsh, blinding sunlight, temperatures in the high 90′s, and unbelievably high humidity) and await a bus, no matter how nice the bus.  Tomorrow will be a bus day, and I am not looking forward to the body-sapping heat that awaits me at the unsheltered bus stops.  I am going to try to avoid the worst of it by going to work early.  I hope to be able to bring you real time temperature and photo data from the bus stop(s) soon.