Sunday, May 19, 2013

LOCAL RESIDENTS TAKEN FOR A RIDE BY BUS


By Juan Montoya
According to the Brownsville Urban System (BUS) website, among its special projects is included one to improve bus stops and passenger travel.
The site states that "BUS has avidly worked on improving public transportation services to the City of Brownsville through various special projects and programs. Such projects include the City-Wide Transit Improvement Project, which began with the construction of the Northside Transfer Station located on Ruben M. Torres Boulevard, the creation of routes through the Job Access and Reverse Commute (JARC) program, and bus stop improvements and passenger travel training through the New Freedom program."
However, if you're one of the thousands of people who must rely on BUS to do your business in Brownsville, the photos depicted here is really what awaits you.
Senior citizens must stand, squat, or sit on a sidewalk for extended periods of time awaiting the bus, if it hasn't broken down the line.
And entire families must bear the azotes del rey astral (the hot sun) as they await Da Ride. Every so often BUS spokespeople issue yet another press release announcing the construction of newer, improved, mo' better bus shelters coming down the road, folks. The announcements are duly published by the sleeping dog newspaper in town and we can all go home with out consciences duly cleared that all is well with out mass transit system. Da Mayor Tony Martinez and commissioner Rose Gowen hire high-priced consultants for Better Streets, Better Blocks, You'all In?, etc., etc., to tell us the obvious: Our streets suck and bus riders must wait for the buss at the mercy of the elements while another public service announcement is manufactured at City Hall.
But a simple ride on city streets will tell you different.
Surely, we must be able to do better than this and provide our city's visitors a better image of the way we serve our mass transportation clients, our fellow city residents.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

REGIONALIZE PUBLIC TRANSPORT!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Don't expect any improvements democRATAS are in charge!!! LOL LOL LOL

Anonymous said...

I wish the bus ran night and day.

Anonymous said...

We are screwed with rose and Jon.
I didn't vote for those two puppets.

southmost kid said...

juan since the city is get chingos de federal grants for the bus dept, why dont we just complain to the us dept of transportation, there has to be something in those grant laws that would require the city to provide better service such as these seats, benches handicap items for all these sites along the routes, check it out.

rita