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| - Yelp 100 Challenge 14' * 24/100
Where do I even begin?
Take this standpoint from a local who has tolerated the frequent 30-minute delays for about 5 years now. All because I somehow convinced myself - for some reason - that my long background with commuter trains, buses, trams and minibuses back in Hong Kong would help me get by without a car. Reality is, you cannot get by without a car in Vegas. RTC did it for me today, I wave my white flag and am just waiting till exams are over so that my license will finally get into the picture.
Today, I left the Sahara West Library 15 minutes before closing to give myself ample waiting time before SX-B would arrive. 2 hours later, not a single bus arrived. Don't take my words with a grain of salt. I'm not even exaggerating. As 8pm hit, I began to suspect that something was amiss. Were the employees on strike? Did the buses break down? RTC phone line only ran till 6pm so that was not an option. Friends/family who had cars were not available to pick me up. Before I knew it, a whole sunset had just taken place before my eyes and the sky was already dark. What on earth was this supposed to be, a layover of some sort? Even airport waiting times were never as long. Just tragic.
Anyway, what I did next was brisk walk all the way from the Grand Canyon stop to Fort Apache, hoping to try my luck on the SX-A (which meets with the SX-B at Fort Apache).There were people - good sign of safety - and lights. Almost 3 hours into my wait, guess which bus arrived - SX-B - the one I had waited for all afternoon! And the driver did not even knew what went on. I was outraged. To think how much time it would've taken to get home - 5 neighborhood blocks away - which would've been 10 minutes by car! I had 2 books checked out from the library, both of which I finished reading by the time the bus arrived.
RTC gravely needs to improve their payment system as well, by establishing a tap card-ish service (we called them octopus cards in HK, clipper at the Bay). Buses run late sometimes because people take long paying $2/$5 in pennies and many times, the swipe-in day passes don't work once they are crumpled up a bit. There have been numerous instances where fights broke out and the drivers didn't mind having it going.
Recently, RTC has tried to up its services by installing wi-fi within the bus. Perhaps it would be more useful to have that installed at the stops instead considering the delays and waiting. I understand that public transportation is not a big thing in this city but why don't we stop to think that maybe the reason people are so resistant to give up driving is because they have heard discouraging stories - turning the situation into a vicious cycle. Ever since I started college, I sought refuge in RTC to get me to school on time. However, after that one winter morning when the bus never arrived for me to catch a chemistry quiz (thankfully a friend swooped me to school just in time), I leave the house 2 hours before my first class just to make sure I am punctual.
For the sake of the people of Las Vegas, I hope RTC will be able to tackle the issues that have been surrounding the agency for awhile now and improve their efficiency.
Sorry guys, 2 stars.
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