[Nfbmo] The bus Saga Continues.
Bryan Schulz
b.schulz at sbcglobal.net
Sun Feb 17 04:14:32 UTC 2013
hi,
i'm happy as a new season of racing has begun.
some enjoy taking shots no matter the truth.
Bryan Schulz
----- Original Message -----
From: "Matt Sievert" <matt.sievert at gmail.com>
To: "NFB of Missouri Mailing List" <nfbmo at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Saturday, February 16, 2013 9:21 PM
Subject: Re: [Nfbmo] The bus Saga Continues.
> Happy trees, let's all think about happy trees,
>
> and talk to Bryan via his private email address.
>
>
> On Sat, Feb 16, 2013 at 9:32 PM, Bryan Schulz
> <b.schulz at sbcglobal.net>wrote:
>
>> fyi,
>> i haven't said anything for at least 6 months so go rip on someone else.
>> Bryan Schulz
>>
>>
>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "David Andrews" <dandrews at visi.com>
>>
>> To: "NFB of Missouri Mailing List" <nfbmo at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Saturday, February 16, 2013 5:24 PM
>>
>> Subject: Re: [Nfbmo] The bus Saga Continues.
>>
>>
>> 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<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<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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>>>
>>
>>
>> ______________________________**_________________
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>>
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