My gripe about Columbia Transit

This transit agency operates in the Mid-Missouri city called Columbia, which is home to UM-Columbia. This is the largest university in the UM system with an enrollment of approximately 25,000 students. As for Columbia Transit, I've observed this agency over the years I cannot overcome the flaws this agency has. I don't know how they get their funding, but their service is often criticized for being inefficient. Many people I've interviewed in Columbia told me they wouldn't ride it as its more costly to ride than to drive their own car, i.e. gas would have to cost over $4 to make it feasible for some to ride it. Mizzou students I interviewed said they wouldn't ride it as most have access to a car, whether their own or a friend's car. This is one thing about CT, why not encourage Mizzou students to use their system to go to places like the mall. Students use it to get to campus from various off campus apartments, but other than that students seldom use it to run errands or for a night on the town. Residents use it to commute to work and go see doctors, but thats during the day, forget about the evening, after the evening rush, service ends. Another complaint are empty buses, yet CT is buying new buses to replace buses that are not even 12 years old. 5 new Gillig buses have been ordered and should be arriving in the Fall, however, this article is over a year old.

http://www.columbiamissourian.com/stories/2009/04/10/columbia-line-five-new-buses/

Why not use some of the money to bring awareness and increase ridership? Also, why doesn't the city of Columbia work with Mizzou and Stephen College to subsidize rides for students like with Ames, IA Cyride (ISU) or CUMTD at Champaign Urbana (UIUC), both of these systems are WAY ahead of Columbia transit when it comes to service. Both Cyride and CUMTD run late night bus service and offer Sunday bus service. Columbia Transit, on the other hand, has limited to non-existent late night service. The last bus route ends service at 10pm and this is only Thursday and Friday. Yet for some strange reason Saturday service ends at 7:30pm??? Wow, how are students gonna use the bus to go to the mall or Wal-Mart on Saturday and not worry about missing the last bus? Forget about Sunday service as this doesn't exist!



This system has potential, but for now its still stuck in the past. Columbia Transit isn't as progressive nor does the city of Columbia put any effort in making transit better. Instead the city of Columbia rather put more red light scameras to extort money from poor motorists. Most residents overlook mass transit and rely on their cars to get around, however, if transit was more cost effective and reliable they'd ride it too. CT can sit in the sidelines and watch other college towns with superb transit systems that runs late into the night (Cyride, Crimson Ride, CUMTD), offers Sunday service, and is ridden by students not by choice, but by convenience.

Here are some pictures of CT's buses I took over the years.


Wow, a New Flyer D40LF coming back from the mall, probably empty, who rides this to the mall and worries about getting stranded there?


A D30LF in front of the Wabash station (transit center for Columbia Transit).


A picture of their 2008 Gillig BRT bus, which is more of an image booster for CT than a necessity.



A New Flyer D40LF rides down the road.