For The WRTA Riders

[AllanY2525]

I'm sorry if this is reposting an idea I had a while back, but how about this:

1) Put "company riders" on the buses for every single route currently running.
Have them "inteview and survey" the people who ride the bus on these routes
and figure out the demographics of where bus service is needed the MOST.

2) Set up a public "survey" at schools, libraries and other public venues
located in the most populated areas of the city to further enhance the
accuracy of the demographic information gathered by actually RIDING
the current bus routes.  FIND OUT from the CITIZENS of Youngstown
what the most-needed routes are, and then CHANGE the current
"status quo" to better MEET those needs, as evidenced by the factual
information gathered by such a survey.

Sorry if I seem like I am "shouting" on this message....not my intention
at all.

[northside lurker]

What I was saying, is that if the Cornersburg was also going to serve the Mahoning Plaza, you would have two buses running up and down Mahoning all the way to Meridian, instead of just Belle Vista.  As more routes overlap, fewer people are served.

Sure, living on the lower west side, I have the luxury of 2-3 routes into downtown. (Cornersburg and Steel--theoretically--serve my area at the same time)  But, if I lived in the neighborhood surrounding Chaney HS, I'd be happy that at least one bus passes near my house, without having to walk all they way out to Mahoning Ave..

[jay]

Actually, several times a day three west side buses follow each other up Mahoning Avenue from  the downtown WRTA bus station.

The 34 Steel travels up Mahoning and then turns onto Steel.
The 35 Cornersburg travels up Mahoning and turns left onto S. Belle Vista.
The Austintown bus travels straight up Mahoning to Austintown.

Mahoning Avenue is the west side's major corridor.  I feel it would be better for the residents along Mahoning Avenue to have the buses run every half hour in both directions.

[northside lurker]

It's tricky, isn't it?  I can only speak for the Cornersburg, because I'm most familiar with that side of the city.  But, if the Cornersburg were to serve the Mahoning Plaza, 2 routes would overlap all along Mahoning Ave within the city of Youngstown.  Also, it would be difficult to continue serving Chaney HS.

[jay]

Several of the WRTA bus routes collect riders from one side of town and then mostly bypass the commercial areas on that same side of town.

One example is the 33 Buckeye Bus.  It travels through Lansingville and Brownlee Woods but misses half of businesses on East Midlothian and most of the businesses along South Avenue.

The 35 Cornersburg has the same problem.  The bus travels to the Cornersburg area and then only travels on Mahoning Avenue from Belle Vista to the downtown.  A rider wishing to shop at the Mahoning Plaza would have to travel to the bus station in downtown Youngstown and then transfer to another bus heading back toward the Mahoning Plaza.   

[northside lurker]

I don't know enough about which routes are popular, and which are not.  So I can't recommend which ones could be cut.  For example, it would appear to me that the McGuffey was no longer needed.  But I don't know how many people live in that direction and need the bus.  Maybe existing routes could run even less frequently?  Lets take the Austintown route for example; maybe the 8:10, 4:10 and 6:10 trips could be cut? (Again, I don't know how heavily the trips I'm proposing to be cut are used.)

[jay]

For the WRTA bus riders

What changes would you make to the existing bus service?