The WRTA

[jay]

Mass transit works best in high density and high usage populations.  Trying to apply mass transit to a sprawling metropolitan area just doesn't work efficiently and is very costly.

Good urban planning is the key to good mass transit.

[solomia]

I use the bus daily, they just had a increase, I work 3 to 11pm and go all the way to niles ohio. I would like to see WRTA go 24 hours like Cleveland Ohio.

[northside lurker]

I think having satellite buses (as Jay suggested above) would be a good idea too.

I would have ridden the night buses if there were more of them; I would have been more willing to stay downtown for recreational purposes after work.

Not enough people ride the bus because it's too inconvenient.  I realize that a line has to be drawn somewhere--WRTA can send buses door to door--but now people have to carefully plan their trip around the bus schedule.  To miss the bus means that another whole hour is wasted until the next one.(or, in the evening, there might not be a next one )

[jay]

I've heard another complaint about the routing of the buses. For example, if a person living in Cornersburg wanted to travel to the Mahoning Plaza, that person would have to travel to the downtown WRTA station and then transfer to the bus which passes the Mahoning Plaza.  There is a need for bus routes which would only travel between locations on a given side of town.

[Towntalk]

WRTA will be shutting down its night service. How many riders used the service during the evening hours?

[AllanY2525]

The single largest expense in operating the local mass transit system is
this: FUEL.

WRTA needs to look into the cost reductions that could be achieved
by simply mixing BIO DIESEL with the petroleum based diesel fuel that
most, if not all, of their bus fleet runs on.

Bio Diesel fuel, mixed at a ratio of 20% or more with real (petroleum based)
diesel fuel will reduce the cost per gallon of fuel for their entire fleet of
buses substantially - while requiring no physical modification of any
of their buses.  Bio Diesel fuel makes less air pollution that real
diesel fuel, and actually keeps a diesel engine cleaner inside
(ie: valves, etc) than real diesel.

Bio Diesel fuel could be produced right here in Youngstown from
either new or used vegetable oil.  Use oil can be converted to
fuel for about $0.70 per gallon using current technology. This
price kicks the @#$% out of the price per gallon for real,
petroleum based diesel (over $3.00 per gallon)

Producing the fuel here in the Mahoning Valley would benefit
the public transit system, the railroads, and anyone who drives
a diesel car, truck, van or S.U.V. and create new local jobs.

Ohio's state owned heavy machinery (ie: for paving freeways,
etc) have already been using Bio Diesel fuel for quite a while,
now it's time to bring this alternative fuel technology to
Youngstown and Mahoning Valley.  WRTA could be instrumental
in showing everyone that this fuel alternative WORKS and save
a boat load of money in the process.

[northside lurker]

I've said before on this forum that I'm a regular rider.  But, I didn't hear them on the radio.

I think they should add additional trips for some existing, heavily used routes.  For example, I wonder if they could run the Austintown route every half hour during the morning and evening hours.  This would make taking the bus more convenient for more people, and ridership might increase.  I also think they should take a serious look at routes that aren't heavily used, and maybe think about eliminating them, or maybe send a bus in that direction every other hour.

I wish they didn't have to use the large busses for all routes.  But, I've been told that WRTA doesn't have a choice.  Apparently, they are given grants (to purchase new busses) that require the use of those large busses.

From what I've seen at some of the other local message boards, as with so many other things in Youngstown, WRTA has a bad image among many of the suburbanites.  Only the poor Youngstown slobs ride the bus so why should I have to pay anything for it, some say.  Others say that WRTA is an outlet for the Youngstown garbage to escape into their "pristine" little suburb.

It's very frustrating, but I can't really argue for any new funds for WRTA because it doesn't appear as though they've done any of the homework I talked about previously.  Was there any indication on the radio that WRTA has done any research or studies about how to make the system more accessible, and/or more efficient?

[jay]

The WRTA has been in the news this week.  The bus service is in need of additional money for operations.  The WRTA Director and Youngstown Councilwoman Carol Righetti were on the afternoon radio talk show today to discuss the plight of the transit system.

How do members of this forum feel about the WRTA?

Some Youngstown residents to whom I have spoken are unhappy because the only local support comes form the Youngstown city taxpayers even though WRTA service  is extended into the nonpaying nearby suburbs and cities.