Fiscal 2023 DIF Account

on
1

WRTA: Do We Really Need It?

on

 

Just passed a WRTA bus with digital sign over driver saying "MASK OPTIONAL".    The bus was completely dark, no passengers, heading back to garage by Crompton Park and the driver  was wearing a mask.    Thought strange since nobody was on the bus...  

I grew up taking the "6" when I lived on Dawson Road then the "2" bus when I moved to Stark Road.  Sometimes we would even take the "10" ,  but do not remember why??  At least 100 times I took these buses maybe more.

But when is the last time you ever seen anyone waiting for a bus around the City of Worcester??? The public transportation has completely changed and now people can do so many things from home with the internet.   

Literally do not remember a time, other then the bus station downtown, that I have seen anyone waiting for a WRTA bus..    Really how many people use the WRTA today???   Do we need it???  Now think about how much we have spent on the new garage by Quinsigamond Ave or the new station by Union Station?    

Would this not be great debate for our City Council!!!   Take that savings and buy open space versus increases real estate taxes..   





 


Comments

Anonymous said…
Gold Star Boulevard, West Boylston Street, the West Boylston, Worcester, Leicester Walmarts, Blackstone Valley, the area near market 32, Worcester State, Webster square, Goddard Memorial, Worcester Tech off of Officer Manny Familia way. These are just some places where I see people waiting for a city bus all the time. Manny Familia way bus stop is used a lot by Worcester Tech students having to stay after school and I would imagine it’s the same scenario for the rest of the high schools. Walmart’s bus stops are very popular as well as Blackstone Valley. Worcester State’s has been popular for students from around the city using it instead of using the shuttle or parking on campus (just to park in the satellite lot and take a shuttle is $100 per school year there so city buses make sense for the people who can take them). West boylston and Gold Star boulevard don’t have specific spots where it’s very packed, but Shaw’s is one where there are typically people waiting. Goddard memorial is very popular for the employees who work at TJ Maxx distribution center and the Amazon facility.

I use to take the city bus a lot when I didn’t have a car for a good period of time, and every time I went to Union Station it was packed (that was pre Covid as well) One thing the bus is great for is low income families that don’t have a license or car. The reason the grocery stores are so popular for the city buses is because those people can take a city bus from the block they live in, to that grocery store, and hop on to go back. Plus, the huge facilities (Amazon, Table Talk, Tj Maxx, Polar) have a lot of temp workers in them so they rely on city buses to transport them to and from work. You go past the TJ Maxx facility when they’re switching shifts (around 3pm) the city bus station on Goddard memorial has a lot of people there. I definitely think the city bus should never be gone because it is a great resource. I wish that the WRTA would work with Polar Park on helping fans get to the games and they changed the times for when the last city buses leave to accommodate that but the Woosox don’t care about what’s going on with city problems involving traffic, parking, etc as long as they’re making money.
April 20, 2022 at 7:43 PM
Anonymous said…
Both the original post and the comment appear to be correct to certain degrees. Pre Covid my recollection of observations of bus ridership seemed to be low and now it seems worse. While they have all the federal monies flowing in they need to rethink how the operations will work and where they need to operate to support the individuals who rely on the WRTA. Their fixed route system doesn't seem to work anymore.
April 20, 2022 at 11:47 PM
Anonymous said…
And the activists, like the new city council members, want to eliminate the options of low income residents who now aren’t forced onto the buses. They want to eliminate ride share drivers like Uber and Lyft by making them cab drivers.

How hurting poor working people”w, both riders and drivers, helps poor people requires blind socialist “thinking.” Virtue signaling replaces and eliminate actual virtue.
April 21, 2022 at 4:08 AM
wormtown said…
From what I hear the vast majority of people utilizing the public transit system in Worcester are people that are homeless, have substance abuse problems and mental health issues. That is fine, but people are afraid to utilize public transportation because of this.
April 21, 2022 at 7:23 AM
Post a Comment