I live in Rochester, NY, and have ridden the bus--off and on--for 15 to 20 years. I would put Rochester's city bus system up against any in the nation for availability, on-time scheduling, and convenience. At the same time, it has the problems alluded to in the piece. Long trips, which might be 30 minutes by car, end up being 90+ minutes, and that is assuming location along a preexisting route. Rochester recently implemented a ride-sharing program very similar to Wilson's, as a way to augment their routes. It's actually quite handy and useful, although it does not boast quite the same low wait times cited for Wilson's network. In any case, innovative transportation solutions are key to continued access for all, amid urban sprawl. Kudos to Wilson!
I live in Rochester, NY, and have ridden the bus--off and on--for 15 to 20 years. I would put Rochester's city bus system up against any in the nation for availability, on-time scheduling, and convenience. At the same time, it has the problems alluded to in the piece. Long trips, which might be 30 minutes by car, end up being 90+ minutes, and that is assuming location along a preexisting route. Rochester recently implemented a ride-sharing program very similar to Wilson's, as a way to augment their routes. It's actually quite handy and useful, although it does not boast quite the same low wait times cited for Wilson's network. In any case, innovative transportation solutions are key to continued access for all, amid urban sprawl. Kudos to Wilson!
I've long thought that this kind of thing must be the future. We need smarter solutions, not more of the same.