The recent snowfall and cold weather have caused a great number of students to flock to the bus stops. As more students take to the buses, however, more complaints arise in regard to the porous condition of the Madison Metro.
The most obvious complaint about the buses is that they fill up too quickly and, as a result, are forced to skip stops along their routes. As the buses run infrequently and are unreliable, students who choose the Metro option are locked out due to an excess of riders and face the reality of being late for class.
Though students don't drop $1.50 in the bus meter each time they ride, a part of everyone's tuition at UW-Madison goes toward these bus routes, and they deserve comparable service to non-student riders.
Due to budget problems, it is unrealistic to simply demand more buses to serve the riders. The solution must be a compromise. Consolidating convoluted routes that currently run through the campus area into a few primary routes running on campus streets such as University Avenue, Regent Street and Observatory Drive, might serve as a better use of Metro resources. Part of the existing problem is that students are often unsure of whether or not a given bus will take them where they want to go. By simplifying the routes, students will know their options and not just hope that they'll get to their destination.
With the possibility of better student access, comes the challenge of providing enough service to accommodate everyone. An answer to this problem may be intertwined with simplifying routes. By redirecting sparsely populated routes, buses will be freed up to cover the popular areas at the busiest times of day. Buses should run every 10 minutes at corners as popular as Park and Langdon, one of the few city stops with this level of service. Buses should serve the largest constituency possible, the most-used routes, even if it takes away from others.
With routes only along the main roads, however, some may see a longer walk to their stop. People can afford to walk two blocks to their stop; they cannot afford a 30-minute delay in mass transit between buses picking them up.
In relation to this is the problem of too many stops. Buses could run more efficiently, and thus more frequently if they did not stop every block. For example, the stop at Humanities can be eliminated. If the bus is crowded, a stop at a place such as this can cause a delay of several minutes that, with stops half a block in either direction, is unnecessary. By eliminating such stops, a sizable chunk of time can be saved, freeing up even more buses and allowing riders to get to their destinations quicker.
With less to worry about on campus, the Madison Metro would be able to focus all of its attention on select routes, which has the potential to further improve it. Students are paying for this service and deserve an effective one.
