Get on the bus
I read with great interest John Borgmeyer’s article “Riders wanted” [November 11], about Charlottesville’s public transportation system. The article was well written and brings attention to one of Charlottesville’s best-kept secrets: its extensive public transportation system.
As a transplanted northerner from Philadelphia, I was amazed that Charlottesville, being a comparatively smaller city, had such an extensive public transit system.
What is good about the Charlottesville Transit System: The base fare of 75 cents, plus being entitled to a free transfer, simply cannot be beaten. In Philadelphia, simply getting on a bus costs $2, and a transfer is an additional 40 cents.
Also, CTS drivers are extremely polite and courteous. If you are unfamiliar with where to get off, they will gladly tell you when you ask, and they make sure they announce the stop when they get there. If you get a transfer, they radio ahead to make sure that the bus you want waits a few seconds.
The CTS buses are kept extremely clean and are constantly maintained. I remember in Philadelphia, in the late 1970s and early 1980s, the public transit buses were bursting into flames, or at least their engines were, due to the lack of maintenance.
What could be done to make CTS better, to attract new riders?
First of all, have service on Sundays, and all legal holidays. For a City that boasts itself as a world-class city, there is no reason why the public transit system should shut down on Sundays and legal holidays. People work on Sundays and legal holidays. Those are also days many drivers have off and they may be tempted to use buses to go shopping, to go to the movies, or go to the City’s many cultural events.
Many of the bus routes run once an hour. They should be running every 20 minutes.
Lastly, the CTS has to be expanded to provide extensive service in Albemarle County. The County may be a separate political entity, but in reality it is part of the Charlottesville urban area. Most of the growth occurring in the area is occurring in Albemarle County.
It is time that Albemarle County becomes a responsible partner, together with the Federal government, the Commonwealth of Virginia and the City of Charlottesville in funding and expanding a viable public transportation alternative for the area.
Paul Long
Charlottesville