[Nfbmo] The bus Saga Continues.
David Andrews
dandrews at visi.com
Sat Feb 16 23:24:44 UTC 2013
Bryan:
I for one am getting tired of your constant stream of messages, on
many of our lists, about how the big bad rehab agency in Missouri
favors others and picks on you. I am not from Missouri, so have no
way of knowing what happened, but your harping about it here isn't
going to change anything. Further, if you got a bum deal, maybe it
is because of your constant negative attitude.
Dave
At 11:39 PM 2/15/2013, you wrote:
>hi,
>
>if you want an example of a monopoly, a familiar state agency which
>uses a certain vendor 90% of the time, has put other vendors out of
>business, and sent one back to his original state is a monopoly!
>Bryan Schulz
>
>
>----- Original Message ----- From: <DanFlasar at aol.com>
>To: <nfbmo at nfbnet.org>
>Sent: Friday, February 15, 2013 11:26 PM
>Subject: Re: [Nfbmo] The bus Saga Continues.
>
>
>>Strictly speaking, a municipal or state or federal public service is not
>>a monopoly since these are not for-profit organizations. If all the
>>airlines combined into one big private or publicly (in the sense of stock
>>availability) -ownership, then that would be a monopoly. Or if
>>Comcast finally
>>owns all the cable networks, then they would be monopoly. Classically, a
>>monopoly restricts competition. A government-managed utility or transit
>>system is a different category. The big difference - we have a way to
>>change or modify a government utility - we have no way to do so
>>with a private
>>company.
>> And yes, this all gets very complicated and far from clear.
>>Dan
>>
>>
>>In a message dated 2/15/2013 5:18:59 P.M. Central Standard Time,
>>dickmorris at netzero.net writes:
>>
>>Hi, Dan,
>>
>>As far as I know, most bus companies are monopolies. Even back in the day,
>>although the Delaware Coach Company was privately owned, it had a
>>franchise
>>to run all bus service in Wilmington, Delaware. Another company had the
>>franchise to run buses out where I lived. And of course, you couldn't
>>transfer between bus lines (sigh). So even back then, bus service was a
>>monopoly. Of course now Delaware has a transit authority: there was a
>>three-month drivers' strike in 1967 (I don't recall the issue), and a year
>>after it was settled, Delaware Coach pulled out, and the city created a
>>transit authority which eventually became DART First State.
>>
>>I think you'd have to go back to the early streetcar era to find a
>>situation
>>in which multiple companies ran transit services in a particular city. I
>>don't know if there's a book that covers bus transit deregulation in the
>>way
>>that Hard Landing did for airlines.
>>
>>I guess it's obvious that transit and transit marketing are two of my
>>favorite subjects. And it's probably also obvious that I should let this
>>subject die until there's more action in Springfield.
>>
>>Dick
>>
>>--------------------------------------------------
>>From: <DanFlasar at aol.com>
>>Sent: Friday, February 15, 2013 3:38 PM
>>To: <nfbmo at nfbnet.org>
>>Subject: Re: [Nfbmo] The bus Saga Continues.
>>
>>So much for the idea that the Free Market solves all problems.
>>
>>Without intervention by the will of the people (ie, our government),
>>free market capitalism leads inexorably to monopoly - which is why
>>government has had to intervene so continuously over the years - which
>>leads to too
>>much regulation which leads to too much deregulation which leads to...
>>You'd think we'd remember this.
>>Dan
>>
>>
>>
>>In a message dated 2/15/2013 3:25:42 P.M. Central Standard Time,
>>dickmorris at netzero.net writes:
>>
>>Matt and Gary,
>>
>>At least Springfield and Columbia have bus stations in town! Matt, I don't
>>know about where you are. But here in Tahlequah, the bus depot sits
>>abandoned; I don't know when the last bus rolled through here, but it was
>>before I came in 2004. Our closest bus station is Muskogee, about 25 miles
>>away, and taking a bus from there is like flying out of Springfield, in
>>that
>>you'll go to a "hub" city like Tulsa or OKC and change there. And Tulsa is
>>sixty miles from here.
>>
>>Isn't deregulation wonderful? Just for grins, if you want an analysis of
>>what deregulation has done to the airline industry, read Thomas
>>Petzinger's
>>Hard Landing. Petzinger writes for the Wall Street Journal, and the book
>>is
>>both interesting and readable.
>>
>>Dick
>>
>>--------------------------------------------------
>>From: "Matt Sievert" <matt.sievert at gmail.com>
>>Sent: Friday, February 15, 2013 3:10 PM
>>To: "NFB of Missouri Mailing List" <nfbmo at nfbnet.org>
>>Subject: Re: [Nfbmo] The bus Saga Continues.
>>
>>Now,
>>
>>Megabus and the michigan flyer have all been successes.
>>
>>Matt
>>-----Original Message-----
>>From: "Gary Wunder" <gwunder at earthlink.net>
>>Sender: "Nfbmo" <nfbmo-bounces at nfbnet.org>
>>Date: Fri, 15 Feb 2013 15:03:59
>>To: 'NFB of Missouri Mailing List'<nfbmo at nfbnet.org>
>>Reply-To: NFB of Missouri Mailing List <nfbmo at nfbnet.org>
>>Subject: Re: [Nfbmo] The bus Saga Continues.
>>
>>When I sometimes ride the bus I get the impression they will run their
>>busses until they run no more and then they'll stop serving us all
>>together.
>>It is not the service-oriented company I used to ride regularly.
>>
>>-----Original Message-----
>>From: Nfbmo [mailto:nfbmo-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Dick Morris
>>Sent: Friday, February 15, 2013 12:59 PM
>>To: NFB of Missouri Mailing List
>>Subject: Re: [Nfbmo] The bus Saga Continues.
>>
>>Matt, the big problem with Greyhound is that they have had no real
>>competition ever since they acquired Continental Trailways in the early
>>90s,
>>and thereby gutted the Trailways network. It reminds me of the old, before
>>the breakup, AT&T commercial slogan, "We may be the only phone company in
>>town, but we try not to act like it." Epic fail on the parts of both AT&T
>>and Greyhound.
>>
>>Speaking of lack of competition, think of what air travel will be like
>>once
>>American and USAir complete their merger.
>>
>>Dick
>>
>>--------------------------------------------------
>>From: "Matt Sievert" <matt.sievert at gmail.com>
>>Sent: Friday, February 15, 2013 7:40 AM
>>To: "NFB of Missouri Mailing List" <nfbmo at nfbnet.org>
>>Subject: Re: [Nfbmo] The bus Saga Continues.
>>
>>Dick,
>>
>>Thank you for correcting me. Mrs. Cruise did the best she could with the
>>bus
>>system. She even ran multiple buses on the same route during holiday
>>weekends, because the mall was so backed up. I never used access express,
>>because I didn't qualify, so I can't speak for that service.
>>
>>As for Norna Champion. She has a school and a park named after her.
>>
>>Greyhound is horrible for everyone. For blind people, for servicemen/women
>>going to Fort Leonard, and everyone in between.
>>
>>Greyhound drives me to be a more successful person. So I can bypass that
>>nastyness, by prtivate leased car trips or airline travel.
>>
>>I will NEVER advocate greyhound to anyone. They really don't care about
>>their customers.
>>
>>
>>
>>-----Original Message-----
>>From: "Dick Morris" <dickmorris at netzero.net>
>>Sender: "Nfbmo" <nfbmo-bounces at nfbnet.org>
>>Date: Fri, 15 Feb 2013 03:45:09
>>To: NFB of Missouri Mailing List<nfbmo at nfbnet.org>
>>Reply-To: NFB of Missouri Mailing List <nfbmo at nfbnet.org>
>>Subject: Re: [Nfbmo] The bus Saga Continues.
>>
>>Matt, her name is Carol Cruise, and she has retired--but she was always
>>willing to listen to her customers. From what Gary tells me, the buses are
>>full now, probably thanks to $3 gasoline.
>>
>>But...you are absolutely right about the "second class citizen" attitude.
>>Maybe you remember Dr. Norma Champion. I had her in several classes at
>>Evangel when I got my communications degree back in the dark ages. As a
>>state senator, well...I was at a Jeff City seminar, I forget which year,
>>and
>>of course I met with her to push NFB issues. One was a transit issue, and
>>her response was that public transit was for "someone like you". I think I
>>bit my tongue till it bled. She was losing her vision due to macular
>>degeneration, but I never could get her to see our side of things. Sad
>>but
>>true.
>>
>>And which Greyhound station were you referring to? The old one on St.
>>Louis
>>or the new one on East Kearney? My problems were more with rude Greyhound
>>drivers than anything else, but the last time I rode the bus, about a year
>>ago, I had a good experience--except for a bus that was three hours late.
>>Oh, well...can't have everything.
>>
>>Dick
>>--------------------------------------------------
>>From: "Matt Sievert" <matt.sievert at gmail.com>
>>Sent: Thursday, February 14, 2013 8:11 PM
>>To: "NFB of Missouri Mailing List" <nfbmo at nfbnet.org>
>>Subject: Re: [Nfbmo] The bus Saga Continues.
>>
>>Sigh,
>>
>>I am glad I am not in Springfield.
>>
>>Public Transportation in Springfield, Missouri has always been a
>>"second-class" citizen issue. "only poor people and the elderly ride the
>>bus." is what I heard from most folks.
>>
>>Also seeing empty buses driving around town didn't help any either.
>>
>>Mary Cruse did a lot to help out the transit issue. I don't know where she
>>went, but obviously by Gary's, account, things have not improved.
>>
>>The only thing worse in Springfield, Mo than the public transit system, is
>>the Greyhound station.
>>
>>My primary means of transportation in Springfield, Mo was a cab or
>>walking.
>>Only when I worked at St. John's was the bus useful, that is because the
>>#2
>>S. National went past the hospital on weekdays, and the #5 went by on
>>weekends. Besides that, the bus was a headache I did not want.
>>
>>Matt Sievert
>>
>>
>>
>>On Thu, Feb 14, 2013 at 9:02 PM, Dick Morris <dickmorris at netzero.net>
>>wrote:
>>
>>>Good job, Erin and Gary! I wish I were still in Springfield so I could
>>be
>>>part of this. You're dooing the right thing in trying to garner
>>publicity;
>>>sometimes the only way to get action is to embarrass somebody. Go for
>>it!
>>>
>>>Dick
>>>
>>> --------------------------------------------------
>>>From: "Magoon Erin" <magoone at gary-springfield-mo.net>
>>>Sent: Thursday, February 14, 2013 6:11 PM
>>>To: <nfbmo at nfbnet.org>
>>> Subject: [Nfbmo] The bus Saga Continues.
>>>
>>>The Bus Saga Continues.
>>>
>>> Gary and I went to the City Council meeting on Monday. He spoke about
>>the
>>>fixed route buses and I spoke about Access Express. Access is the
>>>para-transit door to door service that I'm riding for now because of my
>>>surgery last October.
>>>
>>>It is getting pretty rediculous trying to get a ride on Access. They
>>will
>>>only let you schedule a ride up to one week in advance and it's getting
>>> difficult to do so. They also have a 20 minute window either side of
>>your
>>> pick-up to come and get you. I had a pickup at 6:00 pm and they didn't
>>>have
>>>the person come on duty who was going to get me until 5:55 so he didn't
>>>arrive until 6:20.
>>>
>>>I had another person drop me off at the wrong entrance to my building
>>in
>>> my
>>>apaartment complex. I couldn't get a ride home from my job developer
>>until
>>>two hours after the end of my appointment. I couldn't get a ride home
>>>from
>>>the gym at all, I could get there but not home. I also called one week
>>in
>>>advance of the City Council meeting to schedule my ride. I scheduled it
>>> for
>>>10:30 pm because I didn't know how long the meeting would go and they
>>set
>>>it
>>> up. The lady called me back ten minutes later and said she looked at
>>the
>>>schedule wrong. "It's written in military time and I have trouble
>>reading
>>>and understanding it. The latest we can get you is 8:30 not 10:30."
>>>
>>>I told the Council most of what I've just told you and they sent the
>>> following questions to City Utilities telling them they wanted answers
>>by
>>> Friday, February 22.
>>>
>>>1. Why did you make the bus route changes?
>>>2. Why didn't you have the schedules and maps ready before the changes
>>>took
>>>effect?
>>>3. Why didn't you hold a public hearing or have public comments before
>>you
>>>made the changes?
>>>4. Why did the routes change 3 and 4 times after you made the original
>>>changes?
>>>5. Is it true that you didn't want the passengers to know the changes
>>were
>>>coming? If so, why not?
>>>6. Why are people having so many difficulties scheduling an Access
>>Express
>>>ride 6 and 7 days in advance?
>>>
>>>I called the City Council yesterday to find out what was the next step,
>>>that's when I got told those questions were sent to City Utilities and
>>as
>>>soon as they received a response they'd call me.
>>>
>>>Today a reporter from The Springfield Newsleader called. He talked to
>>>both
>>> me and Gary about what has been going on. I told him all about Access
>>and
>>>that some of the buses arrive downtown five minutes early now because of
>>>the
>>>new schedule, and the bus route that was added sits in the Social
>>Security
>>>parking lot for 15 minutes. No one has explained why this is.
>>>
>>>The paper got a report from City Utilities telling them that the number
>>of
>>>riders on Access has increased and that they have 5 buses. I told the
>>>reporter that several people I have spoken to said they are taking
>>Access
>>>because of all the route changes.
>>>
>>>He said that City Utilities has responded to City Council and said: "We
>>>should have had the bus maps and schedules available when we made the
>>>route
>>>changes, we will hold public hearings in the future for any change we
>>want
>>>to make whether it's small or big."
>>>
>>>I noticed that they didn't answer any of the questions City Council
>>asked.
>>>
>>>The article is supposed to run in tomorrow's paper. I hope it makes a
>>> difference.
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