CONVERSATIONS: Readers weigh in on issues with bus system, ideas for city
Several attempts to fund the city bus system have failed. As a result, the Columbia City Council approved a proposal to eliminate two Go COMO bus lines and decrease hours starting in June to cut costs, citing low ridership as the primary reason.
Interviews with Columbia residents revealed that citizens find the bus system confusing and unreliable and have been abandoning it for years.
We asked for more input on Columbia's bus system's struggles. Here's what some Columbia residents said about why they no longer take the bus.
Complicated routes and bus stops
"I can't figure out the schedule. I've looked online, I've downloaded the app, I've looked for signage at the bus stops. I have ridden buses (and subways and trains) in many cities, both in the U.S. and abroad, without any difficulty because the systems provide information about routes and times in a manner that works." - Nancy Hadfield
"It's kinda unreliable and hard to understand." - Angela Huntington
"I have used the city bus and it's hard to understand, and any questions I had, no one answered the phone that is listed to call, and they didn't respond to any emails. We do use the football shuttles during football season. The time I used the downtown bus to get home after figuring out how it worked, I had to connect at Walmart on West Broadway, had to wait over an hour for the connection because the connecting bus flipped from one color to another color covering north and south Columbia. Nobody coming home from work wants to take over two hours when you can Uber home in 20 minutes." - Dusty Vines-Mudd
"I will NEVER ride the bus again! I went on the bus that should have taken me 10 minutes. It took me three hours as the drivers told me to board the wrong bus. Never again!" - Sue Gentry
Cost
"While it is super cool that they offer free rides to people under 18 and during events like True/False and football games, I can't help but think that it would be better if they charged." - Angela Huntington
"Cuts just make the present system more likely to fail." - Dianna Borsi O'Brien
"I rarely see anyone on a city bus. I'm sure some people do use them, but at what cost to the city? Is it really worth it having a bus system?" - Casey Nelson
"In my opinion, students do not use the bus system and it's too expensive or not available for the elderly and low-income folks. The system needs to be totally revamped or discontinued." - Marjorie Neal Taylor
Suggested solutions
"I come from a place with a very robust transportation system. They sell bus passes that are reduced in price for under 18 and also receive other funding that helps them offer a free or reduced pass for low-income individuals that qualify." - Angela Huntington
"The Ames, Iowa bus system serves a city about the same size, with a big university. Also Bloomington, Indiana. I did a piece for the Missourian that ran in 1993. It compared both places with Columbia and cited Department of Transportation studies which showed the keys to a good bus system are frequent stops, serving students and stops that serve high-density dwellings like student housing." - Dianna Borsi O'Brien
Supervising Editor is Ryan Hanrahan