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I do not have a car and use TriMet a lot to get around. The deterioration of service has created problems for me over and over. It's not safe for a woman to stand on a street corner in the rain at 10 PM for 40 minutes waiting for a bus that used to be a "frequent service" line. TriMet spends too much money on gadgets and not enough on basic service. Several years ago, it installed bus-schedule holders at great expense--and now they no longer have the bus schedules posted in them!  When I asked why, I was told that posting bus schedules was not "cost effective." I suggested that they could sell ads on the schedules if they needed to make them profitable. I received no reply to my suggestion.  But then the agency insituted a text-message version of Transit Tracker--whch is of no use to those of use who do not have text-messaging service. In addition, the Transit Tracker information is not always relaible and the phone version has serious flaws... such as poor enunciation of the words and lengthy automated instructions that defy logic. For example if you are waiting at a stop that has no ID number, you have to go through several steps to get bus arrival information. The first piece of information then given is the stop ID number. What is one supposed to do with that while holding a phone, an umbrella, packages, etc.? I honestly wonder if TriMet employees actually ride buses.

posted 2 years, 5 months ago
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