Survey: more frequent buses or a new bus route

I think the transit authority should make a new bus route to the growing neighbourhood. I live in this area since two years and the transportation is really a big problem for us.

Now the closest bus stop from my home is about thirty minutes walking. In winter it is very difficult, especially when there is snow. Many of my neighbours have to drive to downtown every day, but parking in downtown is very expensive. Some people don't have car, so they must ask friends or take taxi. It cost a lot of money.

Also, the new route will go to the main hospital. This is very important for old people and for people who are sick. My mother need to go to the hospital every month for check, and it is hard for her to go there now.

More frequent buses on busy routes is good too, but those people already have bus. We have nothing. I think it is more fair to help the new area first.

I believe the transit authority should use the new funding to make the buses come more often on the five busiest routes. I take one of these routes to work every day, so I know how busy they can be.

During rush hour, the buses are usually very crowded, and sometimes they are so full that people cannot get on and have to wait for the next one. Since the buses only come every 20 minutes, this can make people late for work or school. If the buses came every 10 minutes, people would not have to wait as long and the buses would not be as crowded.

Also, I think that if the bus service was better, more people would start using public transit instead of driving. This would help reduce traffic in the city.

I understand that the people in the new neighbourhood also need a bus route, but the busiest routes are used by much more people every day.

For these reasons, I think more frequent buses is the better option.

I support ten-minute service on the five busiest routes. I use one of those routes to reach my grocery-store job, and the present twenty-minute interval can turn a small delay into a substantial disruption.

Last Thursday, a delayed connecting bus meant missing my next bus. I waited almost twenty minutes and arrived late for my shift. More frequent departures would reduce that penalty without requiring workers to leave an excessive large margin before every journey. They could also make connections less fragile: missing one bus would not necessarily unravel the rest of a trip.

I have also seen passengers remain at stops when a bus had little space left. Additional trips could spread that demand, although the authority should monitor crowding rather than assume frequency alone solves it. A more dependable journey might persuade occasional riders to travel more often.

My sister lives in the growing neighbourhood, so I appreciate the value of a new connection to downtown and the hospital. Nevertheless, I would first improve service on routes already carrying heavy demand, while keeping her area's needs in the next planning round. For this allocation, shorter waits offer a clear, measurable benefit.