Response to "Progress Has Passed Metrobus By" and "Hidden Rush Hour"

The other day, I read the following articles:

Washington Post
December 27, 2005
Progress Has Passed Metrobus By
By Lyndsey Layton

Washington Post
December 27, 2005
Hidden Rush Hour

WMATA Response to These Articles:
Metro intiatives already underway

MetroBus Capital Improvement Program (ppt)

"As shifting housing patterns, job growth and an influx of residents have transformed metropolitan Washington over the past three decades, MetroBus has done little to adapt, remaining essentially the same system since opening in 1973."

Based on these articles, my experiences traveling in downtown DC, and listening to presenters at the last town-hall meeting, I’ve concluded that MetroBus schedules, services, and reliability need to be drastically improved.

Metro needs to join the 21st century in its ability to monitor ridership, model passenger and traffic flow patterns, and act on this information.

The Department of Energy has been funding projects, and providing grants and resources to help model the efficient use of energy resources in transportation since at least 1979, from my own experience. Additionally, there must also be numerous educational institutions that have developed computer simulations of transit systems. I'm guessing that all that is needed to take advantage of some of these models is sample data. The Department of Homeland Security has grant programs to help with transportation planning, a key ingredient in disaster and security planning.

Has Metro received or applied for any grants? Has Metro invested in any of these transportation models? Does Metro collect data to use in simulations?

Metro busses are now equipped with electronic fareboxes, and smart signs that know the current stop. Is Metro collecting data on the usage of its system. Shouldn't they have ridership figures by stop? Shouldn't they have performance metrics against schedule?

We are in the information age and should have the data to model and monitor all our transit systems.

When a bus is full, what does the operator do? Request another bus? Notify the dispatcher? Can the dispatchers monitor bus schedules?

The system should be able to add special busses to handle surge capacity, during "hidden rush-hours."

Does Metro tell you the current vehicle's schedule and on-time performance?

Better communication with customers and responding to matters of capacity and performance will help both Metro and it’s riders to better understand system impacts and ridership patterns.

Measure, Monitor, and Manage are the fundamental basics for Quality Improvements in any industry.

I. Michael Snyder
WMATA Riders' Advisory Council
Council Member for Maryland - MetroRail