The Downtown Norfolk Stop is WHERE!?

H/T Henry Ryto, Avenging Archangel:

All services that used to stop at Monticello & City Hall and City Hall & Court now stop at Bush & Brooke temporarily while The Tide is being constructed (this detour is until further notice). This is right in front of the Union Mission. Norfolk, are you trying to say something by dumping us off at the homeless shelter?

Yes Norfolk, you're even having MAX riders (who pay a premium fare to ride to work in Downtown Norfolk) getting off the bus AT THE HOMELESS SHELTER!

Suggestion: move the stop two blocks north to Bush & College which would provide better access to TCC and MacArthur. This would also get rid of the stigma of getting off in front of the Union Mission.

960

Yesterday at the 3 PM inbound at 19th & Pacific, I saw this and yes it's equipped with HRT RiderNet (HRT's soon-to-be-launched MAX Wi-Fi) (learn more about RiderNet³)

This is odd

View Flickr Page * View Larger Version

Specifically look at the word "MAX". Note how both are stylized. Coincidence? Can someone shed some light?

The METRO MAX is Phoenix's Valley Metro discount card to attract customer to Phoenix businesses that were impacted by the construction of the newly opened METRO Light Rail.

HRT MAX is our local Metro Area eXpress providing regional express bus service. Funny that this is also the same acronym (and meaning) as Portland, Oregon's MAX Light Rail.

Poll Results

My poll closed and no surprise here: HRT should sell MAX passes on local buses and the Ferry.

For example, you're going from TCC Virginia Beach to Newport News. The fastest way is 36 --> 960 --> 961. That trip would be $3.50 for a local Day Pass + $1.50 for your 960 ride + $1.50 for your 961 ride. Just sell me the $5.50 Day Pass on the 36!

POLL: Purchase your MAX pass on that connecting Local Bus?

I'm finally doing a new poll.

Say you get on the 36 and you're on your way to Hampton. You want to purchase a Day Pass and you know you're going to need The MAX. Do you think the Local Buses should sell you the MAX pass?

Unusual Sighting: 1800 series bus on MAX 960

(Click Image for larger version)

This is something you don't see every day: Bus 1810 was running MAX Route 960

Me on the Sunday Buses

Yep: I actually rode buses today. Here's what happened:

• Bike Rack Full (we both boarded at VB Blvd & Witchduck – the other passenger is going to Military Circle)

• Inbound 20 had a 10-16 at VB Blvd & Newtown; we're down. 1:41 as we turned onto K-Ville

• Question: why do buses enter Leigh? What's wrong with the bus stops on Kempsville? Buses don't go into DePaul, for example.

• It's 1:45 as we turn onto the Blvd from Kempsville – should be at Military Circle now. Held up by 10-16 who wanted off at VB Blvd & JANAF, but then didn't want off. There goes lineup :( Passengers were hot headed, and knew who to blame (not the driver)
  

• Picked up another 10-16 at Military Circle. What a day.

• Oh what fun: the 2:18 #11 was shot at by some preschooler with a BB gun. Colonial & 29th. There was no damage and no injuries, but plenty of paperwork.
  

• Done with the concert at ODU. Time to head home.
  

• I boarded the 960. One bike in front, then I loaded. Two more bikes came up wanting to ride as well. The first biker didn't grasp that they could take the 20 with their MAX Day Pass. This is why when you see your bus, get in line. Perhaps HRT should look into SportWorks Trilogy racks (although that 4^th rider would still be SOL)?

• Passengers were running for the bus as it started taking off, but still inside Cedar Grove. I called forward to the driver but he ignored me. 5 PM #960 – bus #3001 – out of Cedar Grove.

• As always, why do I need to pay extra to ride The MAX? Why can't I have a 30-Day E&D MAX? It's a pain carrying around the extra change.

The MAX 30-Day E&D

I said it before, I'll say it again: when will we get our 30-Day E&D MAX cards? HRT: you've angered many veterans at Wards Corner (just ask Henry who was helping out there during the service launch)

10-10 at Cedar Grove

Thanks for pointing this out Russell. A 10-10 at Cedar Grove ties up everything. Includes plenty of pictures.

Have a read: HRT Drivers need to pay attention, follow directions

Yesterday's Bus Ride notes

Tidbits from yesterday's bus ride

• The 44C VICTORY CROSSING via WALMART has almost quite literally 3 stops: High & FL, Wal-Mart (former Mid-City Shopping Center), and Victory Crossing. Why are there no other bus stops (Airline Blvd maybe?). Is there a reason this bus doesn't go to Norfolk General?
  
• This is MAX driver #2 to not honor my 30-Day at $1.50 (first afternoon 967, leaving Chesapeake Square at 3:20 PM)
• How about corrected 47 schedules? While we're at it, correct Route 47 destination signs
• Correct the system map: Route 33 is a "LOCAL" not "TOUR"
• What's the plans for the #7 (NOB tour), #34 (Oceana Tour), and #924 (Historic Villages Tour)? FTA says they fall under the new Charter regulations. Does this include the Amphitheater Shuttle?
• Route 12: please enter Indian River Park & Ride when the 967 is running (or relocate the #12 bus stop to be closer to Reon + City of VB add a crosswalk at Reon)
• I said it once, I'm saying it again: MAX 30-Day E&D cards are NEEDED (Henry can vouch for several Veterans passing through Wards Corner when service was first launched)
  

Fare Restructure Idea

I know this is kind of late, but due to an incident on the Inbound 960 this morning at Silverleaf, this idea popped into my head:

HRT should adopt a Puget Pass like system where passes are sold in “denominations.” For example, I could purchase a pass worth $1.50 in transit fare (good on any service). In this example, I would be just fine on the local buses. For MAX service, simply show my E&D ID along with this $1.50 pass. In the case of HRT, passes available as follows (prices are how much bus fare they're worth):

• $0.50 - Good for Shuttles; E&D Ferry
  
• $0.75 - Good for E&D Local fare
• $1.00 - VB Wave; Youth Fare; Ferry
  
• $1.50 - E&D MAX, Regular Local
• $3.00 - MAX

All passes could be upgraded with cash at the Farebox. Transfers could be issued encoded with how much fare is paid (for example, a Shuttle Transfer would prompt a Local Bus to ask for $1.00).

Further Reading:

• Puget Pass FAQ (King County Metro)
• Puget Pass Costs (King County Metro) - first column is how much bus fare it's worth and the rest of the columns are how much the pass costs

As of right now, MAX bus fareboxes do NOT recognize that I'm using a 30-Day Pass worth $1.50 and that I'm E&D.

The MAX: Now that we have to pay to ride

It's almost time for the free ride for The MAX to end. Problems:

• Where's the 30-Day Pass for Seniors & Persons with Disabilities?
• All buses at 19th & Pacific show up on the hour and half-hour (20, 33, and 960). Why doesn't the 960 wait for them!?
• The 960 and 961 are both due at Cedar Grove at roughly the same time. WAIT FOR EACH OTHER!
• Why not eliminate Evelyn Butts & J trips on the 961 (simply post rider alerts to tell passengers 'Head to Wards Corner') - I don't understand why the trips are there
• Does the 960 need to run that often? I'd run it less often off-peak and use that savings to run the 960 and 961 a bit later (maybe one or two more trips from either end)
  

MAX Silverleaf

I was able to go on my first ride on The MAX earlier. I took the 960 from Cedar Grove to Silverleaf. Couple of things:

• Buses should be able to detour via Brambleton to I-264 to get out of town: St. Paul's Blvd is a parking lot
• Route 36 should exit Silverleaf towards TCC as follows: RIGHT Independence; RIGHT Silverleaf Dr; RIGHT Holland - this cuts the line wanting to STAY on Independence
• Don't send MAX buses out to cover the 19. I'd rather see a 1200, 1700, 2000, or - heaven forbid - a rust bucket (900) until the 919 is officially launched. I don't want to go into discussion about the nightmare it caused this morning. Ditto for Route 22 (hopefully that didn't happen) since neither are MAX routes until September.
  
• Something needs to be done about the strange loop for the 36 Pembroke. It may be a pain to cross, but City of VB: Could we get a left turn lane from Holland Rd to Commuter Dr?
• Where is the MAX 30-Day E&D card that I was promised (then retracted)!? This caused an uproar at Wards Corner.

919 NAVAL STATION MAX

It's Here! The 919 NAVAL STATION MAX did run this morning and did cause confusion if it's free or not ($1.50 Route 19 fare requested). Passengers were already talking about the MAX when 960s came through ("this is what our bus will be in September") and got confused since they knew The MAX was free for the first two weeks. There were two Gillig Phantom (1800 series) Route 19s that came through, then the rest were 919 MAX buses. The decision to dispatch MAX buses was that of 18th Street Dispatch.

I arrived around 4:30 AM not knowing it would only take me 20 minutes to ride up Independence on a bike and helped until the 36 showed up at 6:30 (it was supposed to be there just before 6:18, the Holland & S. Plaza timepoint) so I could get to the dentist.

All 19s and 919s had difficulty with their signs. The only sign towards the base we (myself, a driver, and supervisor) could find was 19 STAFF COLLEGE/LAFAYETTE ANNEX so everyone else stayed with 19 SILVERLEAF STATION or 919 MAX SILVERLEAF

The MAX: Meet me at Silverleaf

HRT apparently needs helpers for the launch of The MAX. If I can get up, I'll be at Silverleaf in the mornings

The MAX Schedules are here

They're finally here: MAX Schedules are now available on goHRT.com

Look for a complete review Monday evening as, assuming I can get up, I will be at Cedar Grove around 5 AM. Couple of thoughts:

• Is there any way the 961 leaving Evelyn Butts &J at 5:35 AM wait just 10 minutes so passengers coming from the lineup at 5:45 ride it? at 5:15 AM, all you have are the inbound 3 and outbound 15 (the first inbound 8 starts this trip @ Evelyn)
• The 12 needs to serve Indian River Park & Ride like it does for the 22 during 967 hours
• The 960 needs to run a tad bit later. Maybe 9:30 PM from Cedar Grove and 9 PM from 19th & Pacific?
• The 961 should have one more trip from the Southside heading to Hampton & Newport News
  

The MAX is Coming

There's now a page on the HRT site that is ready to accept details on The MAX! There's a map as well.

Best part? Today, HRT bought 15 new buses from Gillig. Half will go to The MAX (service expansion possibly?)

The MAX: We WON!!!!

The TDCHR (the board that governs HRT) met yesterday and first up was the MAX Public Hearing. The only two speakers were Henry Rtyo of Avenging Archangel as well as myself.

The Commission approved The MAX on condition that staff adjust it as suggested by Public Comments.

Tweaks that should be implemented:

• Route 960 (Downtown Norfolk-Oceanfront) needs to stop, in addition to what's listed in the presentation, at Town Center (using the existing stops on Route 36) and the Pembroke East transfer point. In addition, it should then exit I-264 at Birdneck and head LOCAL via 19th Street to serve the convention center and finish the route at 19th & Pacific
• Route 961: Downtown THEN Cedar Grove
• Route 967: How will local connections work (12 in the VB end, 15 at Greenbrier, 44 at Chesapeake Square, and NNTC buses in Newport News)
• Senior/Disabled Fare: I'd pay $1.50 for MAX service or $45 for a 30 Day that works on everything, including Circluators, Local, Ferry, VB Wave, The Tide, and MAX
  

The MAX: Some Last Minute Thoughts

I will be bringing these up tomorrow at the hearing:

1. How will 12 <--> 967 connections and 44 <--> 967 connections work? (yes, I expect it to be bidirectional)
   
2. Route 960 NEEDS to serve Town Center (as per Va Beach's request). I say it should travel up to Pembroke East using the 36 route as well as heading to Silverleaf (this can be in either order)
3. Why is 961 doing Wards Corner-Downtown-Cedar Grove in that order? It should be Wards Corner-Cedar Grove (the DTC, not the Route 17 stop)-Downtown (all Loop stops)
4. Eliminating Suffolk service mid-day and weekends!? (yes, I know Suffolk Transit* runs Monday-Friday only)
5. I will be using a completely eliminated leg to get to Hampton: Pembroke-Evelyn Butts-Wards Corner. Why is this part being eliminated?
6. How will 30-Day users and E&D users work? Henry suggests a $45 pass that works on everything. I agree with that (yes, I do mean EVERYTHING including the Ferry & VB WAVE)
7. I wish there was a 921 (essentially Route 121 with a Route 960 type schedule)
8. Airport Authority: LET'S GET A BUS TO ORF, enough squabbling there is no excuse that Military & Norview = Airport Bus Stop (and no, Azalea Garden & Noreview Ave = Airport Stop doesn't count in my book either)
   

* The City of Suffolk subleases buses from HRT and uses City of Suffolk drivers

The MAX Public Hearing

Tomorrow at 1:30 PM will be a public hearing concerning the MAX express bus system Henry and I are planning on speaking.

• Location: PENTRAN HQ, 3400 Victoria Blvd, Hampton (served by Route 103)
• Time: 1:30 PM
• Room: Second Floor Board Room

I will be on the 61 leaving Pembroke at 11 AM. For more information: MAX Presentation