Advocacy group aims to promote public transportation in Greensboro

yesweekly : "During the meeting, TAP proposed an initiative that was highly favored by the members of council. Entitled “Five Mile Challenge,” TAP is challenging each person in the community to ride five miles on public transit and share their experiences with the group. District 1 council member Sharon Hightower was most enthusiastic about the proposed initiative. Additionally, District 3’s Justin Outling has worked with Saunders for more than a month, listening to ideas and updates in regards to the initiative. Mayor Nancy Vaughan recommended that all of council support the challenge. The purpose of the challenge is to bring awareness to the reasons why choice riders do not ride the bus and encourage these changes to be made to remove these barriers.

In addition to the Five Mile Challenge, TAP is implementing a bus buddy program for citizens. The program seeks to form groups of friends and neighbors willing to take public transit, inviting them through email or social media to go on specific bus trips in order to achieve their 5-mile goal. This program will involve businesses promoting which stops and routes service their company. Also, the businesses will act as bus buddies by creating Facebook events or sending email threads to invite their customers to ride the bus with them to their business."

Building more roads to solve congestion is like loosening your belt to solve obesity

Houston Chronicle: "Two weeks before the Nov. 3, 2015, election, Gov. Greg Abbott penned an op-ed that ran in the Dallas Morning News on Oct. 16, 2015, and again in the Austin American- Statesman three days later, urging voters to support a state constitutional proposition to funnel more dollars to funding Texas roads. He made the case by citing what daily traffic congestion costs Texas motorists in dollars, over the course of a year." 

Hopeful signs of #publictransit advocacy in Paducah

WKMS: "“Our citizens of Paducah and McCracken County are now realizing the impact a public transportation system has in all of our individuals lives and the impact that it has in the community.” Boykin said.

Boykin said this is the first real conversation that has been had about the suggested upgrades and many of the changes won’t happen overnight."

45% of Americans have no #publictransit

Sun Sentinel: "45 percent of Americans have no public transit. This should be unacceptable in a modern society.

Congress needs to make public transit the priority it should be by passing a long-term transportation bill with increased investment in public transit. And they should do it this year, while there is still time. Our economy, environment, and quality of life are all at stake. "

Trolleys and circulators show the power of fare-free transit

Miami Herald: "“The trolleys are simply wonderful,” said Amalia Sandoval, a Venezuelan who lives in Coral Gables and rides the trolley virtually every day.

She was interviewed as she got off the Coral Gables trolley at a Publix supermarket near Ponce de León and Flagler Street.

“I come to the supermarket,” she said. “I take my granddaughter to school. Then I go home. The service is on time and the drivers are very polite. I have a car but I’d rather take the trolley because my granddaughter just loves it.”

Other riders simply like the fact that most trolley services are free.

“It gives people who don’t have fare for the bus a way to travel, because it’s free,” said Geney Perez."

Paducah, KY -- No car? No job. #publictransit inadequate

A need for reliable public transportation - WPSD Local 6: Your news, weather, and sports authority: "PADUCAH, Ky -
If you have an 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. job and need a ride to work, you can't count on the Paducah Area Transit System's buses to get you there. They run 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. That leaves people working the day shift looking for another ride.

More than 400 people step on Paducah city buses every day. Passengers can ride to appointments, doctor's offices, the mall and grocery stores, but if you have to clock in by 8 a.m., you won't be taking a Paducah city bus.

"It can be a stressful situation trying to get to a job interview and flag a bus down," said Adam Morton, who relies on area transit.

Morton is trying to get a job. He can't drive for medical reasons, so he stands on this curb and waits. 

"I stand here and have to wave to catch the driver's attention so that driver knows I'm here," Morton said.

Buses on four routes leave at the top of every hour weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Adult riders can hop on for $1, seniors and kids get a discount.

"It's great that we have it," Morton said.

However, he says it's not always reliable. There are no published timetables or bus stops for the city's five routes. Bus drivers pick up anyone who flags them down, and all buses park for one hour at noon, so every driver gets their meal break. That's not convenient when you're trying to get to work, or in Morton's case, land a job.

"I have actually experienced where they turn me down, because of what they don't consider a valid form of transportation," Morton said."