I figured I had to spray the air can on this blog, since it's been a few years since I've posted here. There's only so much you can post on a Facebook status, right?
I just perused through Sacramento Regional Transit District's website to look about the new "Green Line" they've been hyping.. Money Vacuum! It's basically one additional stop to a planned development called Township 9 and it doesn't even operate on Saturdays, Sundays, or Holidays..
Interesting note I did see: their daily passes allow use until 1:30am the next day - yet the latest service is light rail with the last trip starting just after 9:30pm on weekdays, with virtually all buses stopping at 9pm STILL..
Redundant, much?
How is it that Sacramento RT is the most expensive public transit system in the entire US (Yes, the ENTIRE US..) and yet stops service after 9pm? This ain't Topeka Transit Metro (Ooooh, fancy new name - still a handful of routes) - they've got a reason to end service at 9pm, not 6pm like they still do since I lived there from 2006-2008..
I hear folks here in Phoenix complain about Valley Metro but really, you have nothing to whine about, fellow Phoenicians! Does a daily pass cost you $6? Do you have to shell out a granny note just to get a monthly pass which you HAVE to buy within the first week or so or it's a waste of money?
The only gripe I have with Valley Metro (if any) would be that the light rail is too far south. When can we get some rail service in the North Valley? Apparently, after 2030. Maybe if Valley Metro had anticipated the need back in the early 80's or so, like Sacramento.. But then again, I'm no City Planner, no matter what they write on the bathroom stall at Chase Field..
If anything, Valley Metro has a lot of things right that some transit systems don't..
- 3-day (at light rail locations, 7-day and 30 day passes that use a countdown system once activated by a bus or light rail
- Transit Books available FOR FREE on buses (Sacramento RT used to sell Transit books at supermarkets, book stores, etc. but now, you can only buy them at the Transit Store at the 16th Street Light Rail stop [I think that's the one..])
- Platinum Pass where employers can pay for their employes' transit (partnership between Valley Metro and Maricopa County), and it only costs per ride [my employers give me this perk and actually pay me $1 each day I take the bus!]
- NextRide - Send a text message of your stop number and it will tell you the next bus going that direction
- Purchasing some fares on the bus will cost you more than if you buy them ahead of time - this way, it encourages you to buy your passes first, which leads to..
- Buying your passes at Fry's Food Stores, 7-Eleven, Circle K, Walgreens, Safeway, PLS Check Cashiers, select Valero gas stations, and some other locations.. All throughout the Phoenix Metro! [Sacramento RT has you go way out of your way to some places you know you wouldn't normally go to buy passes - SMUD? Punjab International?]
Leave me some comments, and if you're bored, check my YouTube channel and my CafePress shop..!!
PortPowerAZ
