About that fare increase…

As many of you know by now, there is likely to be a bus fare increase this spring. Given the price of fuel and transit funding constraints, I don’t think Metro really had a choice, so I grudgingly support the increase.

On the other hand, I think it’s time for the state and the county to rethink the way transit is paid for. Currently, Metro’s has two major sources of funding: sales taxes and fares. I’d like to see us explore other options (congestion pricing, tolling, gas taxes, etc.) and explore the possibility of making transit free. My hope is that doing this would have two benefits: reducing fare disputes, thereby making buses faster and safer, and encouraging more people to ride. I talked about this a bit (a very little bit) on KUOW’s Weekday a couple of weeks ago.

Your turn. Should Metro increase fares? If so, is 25 cents enough? If not, how do you think the agency should address the funding shortfall? (One idea, of course, is more bus wraps. Sorry. Couldn’t resist.)

The ultimate bus foul, part II

I guess I have an answer to my question about whether bus riders in Seattle ever get groped.

Seattle police are searching for man who has sexually assaulted at least four women near bus stops in South Seattle.

The assailant sneaked up behind the women and forcefully groped them, starting with two women Nov. 20. The latest and most threatening attack was reported early Wednesday, when the man dragged the victim into a dark driveway, fondled her and took her wallet, police said.

(Source: Seattle PI)

Wow. And I always liked riding the 36…

November Golden Transfer

Golden TransferThis month’s Golden Transfer goes to Seattle’s Bus Chicklet, my daughter, Rosa.

Rosa started riding the bus on her second day of life–a short trip home from the hospital on the 4. Since then, she hasn’t gotten out much, but she’s ridden the bus on all but one of her outings. (Over the Thanksgiving holiday, she took her first car trip–to Spokane in her Grandpa Jerry’s Jeep.) In her first month of life, she’s ridden: the 3, the 4, the 8, the 18, and the 48. The 48 seems to be her favorite, but that’s just because she hasn’t ridden the 27 yet–at least not since she’s been on the outside.

So far, Miss Chicklet has been well-behaved on the bus (knock wood), and she seems to enjoy riding in the carrier I use to transport her:

Picture
Rosa in the Baby Bjorn she rides in on the bus

She didn’t seems as excited about the car seat:

Picture
Rosa, not particularly enjoying her first car ride

Looks like we’re going to get along famously. :)

P.S. – You might have noticed a significant slowdown in posts of late (as if pregnancy didn’t slow them down enough). The first weeks of parenthood have been a bit consuming. I’ll try to do better in December, but posts will likely continue to be slow through the New Year.

Bus chick preparedness, part II

Last week, Cat from Kirkland sent me this question:

I have no aspirations of becoming a bus chick. However, I’m in salary negotiations for a job in downtown Seattle, which means that I may become a bus chick within a couple of weeks ([commuting] from Kirkland to downtown). I’ve been obsessing about what type of bag to carry. I normally carry a laptop bag and a purse and sometimes a small lunch bag. But, with my new transportation situation, I need an all purpose bag. I dress up and wear heels to work every day. So, already I realize that I’ll need to carry an extra pair of shoes, as well…

So bus chick – tell me – how in the world am I gonna carry all of this stuff and still look presentable? I read your post about bags, but I need specifics. I need something durable, professional, waterproof, and cute.

Interesting timing, Cat. I’m on the hunt for a new bus chick bag as well, having discovered a pretty major flaw in the Tumi soft-sided briefcase I’ve been carrying for over a year. (The strap loosens and detaches after a long period of carrying it–even with only my light laptop and my wallet.)

Readers: Any suggestions for attractive, versatile, professional bus chick bags?

A side note: I do my best to avoid carrying an extra pair of shoes unless it’s absolutely necessary and instead look for shoes that are stylish and comfortable. In the winter, that generally means heeled boots (with heels that aren’t too thin or high, of course). Then again, my job does not require me to dress professionally, so I can get away with more casual attire than, say, an attorney could. Any downtown-office bus chick types with footwear suggestions?

A weekend bus adventure

Last week, my Gail came to town to meet her new granddaughter. On Saturday morning before she returned home, the four of us (Bus Nerd, Bus Chicklet, my Gail, and me) headed to Hi Spot for brunch. Bus Nerd and I have taken the bus to Hi Spot at least a zillion times (4 + 3, 48 + 3, or short walk + 3) since we’ve been married. Unfortunately, Saturday was the first time we’d done it with an infant. Dealing with the baby in the sling, the diaper bag, and my Gail’s bus newbie status distracted Bus Nerd, and he somehow managed to drop his wallet on the 4. He realized it soon after we got off, but not soon enough to catch up to the bus.

I know from experience that losing something on the bus means waiting until the end of the day for it to be turned in to lost and found (assuming it gets turned in at all), and then waiting until the lost and found office is open to claim it. Losing a wallet is a bit more urgent than losing and umbrella or pair of gloves (my specialty), and I knew that Bus Nerd wouldn’t be able to enjoy brunch if he had to wait until Monday to find out if his wallet had been returned. So, being the resourceful bus chick I am, I suggested that he catch a cab and intercept the 4 while the wallet was still on it.

While my Gail, Chicklet, and I caught the 3 to the restaurant, Bus Nerd did just that. He called Metro from the cab, and a helpful rider information specialist kept him up to date on the 4’s progress (for once, the route’s excruciatingly slow pace was a benefit) while the cab driver gave chase. He caught up with the bus on Virginia. The driver remembered him and immediately handed him the wallet, which had been turned in by another passenger. Nothing was missing.

Wallet back in pocket, Bus Nerd took the cab to the restaurant where my Gail, Chicklet, and I were waiting, and we all enjoyed a stress-free meal. Props to the rider information specialist, the Good Samaritan passenger, and the cab and bus drivers, for making the end of this story a happy one.

An update

As promised, the rest of the story of Bus Chicklet’s arrival:

Many of you assumed from my last post that I rode the bus to the hospital while in labor. Alas! I wasn’t that heroic. The little chicklet had overstayed her welcome–enough past my due date that I had to be induced. So, on Halloween night, Bus Nerd and I rode the bus to the hospital as we had for all of my previous doctor’s appointments, sans contractions or ruptured membranes. The only difference was that we were carrying bags and feeling excited to meet our daughter.

On the day after she was born, we took our little one home on the 4. (It’s not the ideal route for an introduction to Seattle’s bus system, but at least we can be confident she’ll be ready for anything on future rides.) She rode in a car seat (you can’t take a child home from the hospital without one), but she’s enjoyed subsequent rides (on the 3, 4, and 48) in a nice, cozy sling. Of course, other than visits to the pediatrician’s office (which is a two-minute walk from our house and doesn’t require a bus ride), we haven’t taken her out much. Still, we’ve already managed to have a bus adventure. More on that tomorrow.

Relaxing after a grueling ride on the 4

27 + 60 = a bus baby

Bus Baby has arrived!

Vitals

First name: Rosa, after Original Bus Chick
Middle name: Caroline, after my mom
Nickname: Bus Chicklet (thanks to the reader who suggested it last spring)
Birth date: 11/1/07
Birth time: 7:33 AM
Weight: 8 pounds, 7 ounces

I am new

We had planned a cab to the hospital, which is only a couple of miles from our house, and had also enlisted family and friends as backup transporters; however, because we had more warning than most people (more on that later), we managed to ride the bus to (27 + 60) and from (a short walk + 4) Miss Rosa’s delivery.

As you can imagine, Bus Nerd and I are a bit preoccupied (and tired!) right now, but I promise to share the whole story very soon.

Still riding…

I’m waiting patiently for Bus Baby to make an appearance (hey, I thought I signed up for 40 weeks–not 41), frightening my fellow passengers, who, it seems, are desperately hoping my water doesn’t break while we’re sharing a seat.

There are several items I failed to report while I was busy attempting to will myself into labor, but I only have the energy to tell you about two of them.

First, the not-so-good news:

Flexcar members will be paying the rental car tax. From a recent Flexcar newsletter:

As you may know, Flexcar has been working with the Department of Revenue to address the application of the State and County rental-car tax to Flexcar members. While we made important progress in educating the Department of Revenue on why car-sharing is different from traditional car rental, we were unable to reach a definitive resolution. The Department determined that it could not exempt car-sharing from the rental-car tax without legislative authority.

Consequently, the Department of Revenue has informed us that we must now begin to collect the rental-car tax effective November 1, 2007. As a result, you will see those taxes reflected in our invoices beginning with any November Flexcar charges. For trips using Flexcars in King County (Seattle, Bellevue, or Kirkland), the rental-car tax will be 9.7%. Use of Flexcar vehicles in Vancouver, WA, will be subject to a rental-car tax of 5.9%.

Guess it’s time to get that “legislative authority.” There’s already a petition circulating.

Now, to cheer us up:

Sustainable Ballard received 436 October “undriving” pledges at their Undriver Licensing booth last month. Here are some of my favorites:

1. Not drive to any destination adjacent to or in downtown Seattle.
2. No driving on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
3. Never drive to the grocery – even if it’s in the middle of the night. [Apparently, this person is familiar with Bus Chick’s Diet Plan.]
4. Walk kids to school, walk to work – back home. Get gear for rain to be prepared!
5. Not replace our 2nd car.
6. Not drive daughter to school, have her take bus.
7. Skateboard to Sunny’s Teriyaki.
8. Not drive at all except for one Flexcar trip on one day. Use bus + foot.
9. Commute 5 days a week by bus or bike. Bike or carpool to church and church meetings.
10. Bus to my volunteer job. Walk to shopping. Get my bike back in riding condition.
11. Ride my bike to school (Ballard to Capitol Hill) one time a week for full quarter.
12. Walk at least 3 days a week rather than driving to the pool.
13. Sell my car! Ride the bus, bike or walk to work.
14. Help my neighbor drive less by organizing a car-share. Bike to work.
15. Walk to Ballard Market + walk/bus for weekend nights out.
16. Not drive to Tacoma or Everett but take the Sounder
17. Use the bus to take my daughter to school at least three times per week.
18. Combine by errands into one trip and make more of my trips on my bike.
19. Prepare to sell our second car – carpool – and look into a bike buggy for errands.
20. Reduce in-person meetings for the organizations I work with, meeting by phone, email, etc.
21. Take the bus to: Seatac Airport, Benaroya Hall. Bike to work more. Get my winter lights installed!
22. Bike to work every day. Do local errands (<1 mile) with bike or by foot. Take public transportation to airport/downtown.
23. Run the dogs at the local parks once a week instead of driving to a farther away park.
24. Ride my bike to the library + grocery store on weekends.
25. Only drive if I am heading out of the city.
26. Carpool or ride the bus to all events throughout the month.
27. Never to use my car in the center of the Ballard neighborhood – always to walk around the neighborhood.
28. Walk or bike to school every day, organize “walk to school” month + help create walking school buses to Adams Elementary.
29. Walk 2x per week instead of drive to coffee. And bus 2x per week to kids’ activities.
30. Not drive on weekend.
31. Drive only when moving furniture, and in all other cases bike or use public transit.
32. Talk to others about the steps we’ve taken to reduce driving.
33. Speak to 6 people about the benefits of not owning an automobile.
34. Drive less and to talk my wife into driving less.
35. Encourage my yoga students to bike, bus or walk to class.

Anyone got an undriving pledge for November? I’ve got 10 Metro “ride free” passes for the person who posts the most inspirational pledge (read: the one I like best).

“Is this seat taken?” (part II)

The PI’s Singled Out blog has a recent post about meeting people/finding dates on the bus.

In the hunt for my next job, “only a bus ride away” will be mandatory criteria in my list of wants. “Why?” you might ask. Well, besides the obvious environmental and traffic-relieving reasons, I want to ride the bus because I think that:

The bus is an untapped gold mine of potential dates with Seattle’s singles.

Well, hello!

Told you (many times, in fact) buses were sexy.