Yesterday I went to a hearing on JTA's new bus terminal proposal.
JTA is planning to build a big new bus terminal on the west side of downtown, and to reroute a lot of buses there instead of having them run around downtown.
There are some positives to this idea: (1) it may include Amtrak, which really should be downtown;
2) if you are transferring from non-downtown point A to non-downtown point B, you probably want the bus to spend as little time downtown as possible.
Nevertheless, I don't like the idea in its current incarnation. Transit's chief market, like it or not, is the suburb-to-downtown commuter. And a suburb-to-downtown commuter doesn't want to
(a) transfer to the Skyway or trolley to get to work; or
(b) have to walk ten blocks to get to work.
Instead, JTA should try to provide these commuters with something close to door-to-door service. If JTA has any "choice" riders (i.e. people who can drive to work but don't) it is these people. Lose those suburb-to-downtown commuters, and you cripple your ridership base.
To learn more contact whart@jtafla.com
