people mover ( anchorage )
a people mover bus in east anchorage in november. (bob hallinen / adn archive 2016 )
new people mover buses hitting anchorage streets, muni. org, retrieved 08 - 11 - 2010
according to the people mover website, veterans and people with qualifying disabilities must complete the half fare application process .
a people mover bus travels down 5th ave in downtown anchorage, alaska, on thursday, november 17, 2016. (bob hallinen / alaska dispatch news )
it' s also a boon for tourists and could lead to a boost in people mover ridership, officials said .
there are parts of anchorage where people depend more on people mover and ridership is higher, mainly in east anchorage, midtown and downtown, but the hourly schedule is still roughly the same because the system' s resources are spread thin across a big area .
municipality of anchorage director of transportation abul hassan announces changes to the people mover bus system on tuesday at the municipal bus depot. (loren holmes / alaska dispatch news )
the people mover is the sole public transportation agency in anchorage, alaska. with 52 buses and 14 routes, it is also alaska' s largest public transit agency .
now, however, we do have at least one: a sensible proposal on the municipal level to consolidate services in anchorage' s venerable public transit system, the people mover .
on wednesday, the municipality announced that people mover has partnered with google to incorporate its transit data into the tech giant' s mapping system .
people mover' s annual service change typically takes place during the summer. the service change process spans four to six months and includes the following steps :
it' s a great expansion of service for those who ride people mover ,
said lance wilber, director of anchorage' s department of public transportation, in a wednesday afternoon press conference announcing the rollout .
people mover maintains a fleet of 52 modern, comfortable, fully accessible, ada compliant buses that travel over two million miles a year. friendly, courteous and professional bus operators serve the greater anchorage and eagle river areas with 14 regular transit routes .
the city' s americans with disabilities commission will be offering recommendations to people mover in december, said david levy, who staffs the commission and works for the city health department .
at a news conference in the people mover maintenance shop off elmore road, anchorage mayor ethan berkowitz touted the new system. he was joined by transit and union officials and representatives of alaska regional hospital — a major employer — and the nonprofit cook inlet housing authority .
a people mover bus stops at the intersection of checkmate drive and emmanuel avenue in anchorage, on nov. 17. the part of the bus route through neighborhoods would be eliminated in the proposed changes to the bus system. (bob hallinen / alaska dispatch news )
the good news is that there will be no reductions in routes and a couple of routes will have buses more often. the people mover system also includes anchorrides and share - a - ride .
a people mover bus pulls into the main transit station in downtown anchorage. new fares go into effect jan. 1, including an increase for senior riders. the good news is that there will be no reductions in routes and a couple of routes will have buses more often .
most importantly, especially for first time riders, plan ahead and get the information you will need before you begin your trip. there are several other ways to obtain people mover bus information, including :
the changes are set to take effect all at once on oct. 23 — a fast turnaround for a people mover system eager to get more people on the bus. amid years of declining ridership and shrinking budgets, transit officials embarked early last year on an effort to reinvent the experience of riding a public bus in anchorage. there were public meetings and surveys .
people mover operates with a $ 32 million annual budget, about $ 18 million of this funded by the municipality, $ 6 million to $ 7 million from federal funds and the rest paid by riders .
3625 - a dr. martin luther king jr. avenue, anchorage, ak 99507
address: 3600 dr. martin luther king jr. ave. , anchorage, ak 99507
last fall, people mover officials released two redesign concepts created by a portland - based transit consultant, jarrett walker & associates. the draft plans drew more than 500 comments which were posted on the city' s transit website .
anchorage seniors ride the people mover buses at half the cost of others on board. but all fares have been raised effective new year' s day. the fare schedule has also been simplified so that regardless of whether one buys a pass or pays for each trip individually, the reduced fare is half the full fare .
the blue line was route 13. it snakes to the city' s major hospitals and the university of alaska anchorage campus and swings past the anchorage senior center before shooting north to downtown .
even so, the approach gained national attention and inspired anchorage officials to rethink the routes here .
new public transportation vehicles hitting anchorage streets, muni. org, retrieved 08 - 11 - 2010
in kennewick and richland, washington, ben franklin transit, the regional version of people mover, has a deal with local taxi companies to shuttle people to stops on the main routes. the service is quite affordable — though subsidized like all public transit — and it is very popular, officials with ben franklin told me .
sanctioned by local voters in 1973, anchorage' s public transportation people mover bus system began operation on july 1, 1974, carrying 39, 505 passengers in the first month of service. in 2008, it set a new annual record of 4, 220, 677 trips, with an average weekday ridership of 14, 297 .
i don' t know if something like this would be possible in anchorage, but people in these small, largely rural communities in eastern washington figured this out. maybe we can too .
people mover asks and encourages the public to participate and provide comments through public meetings, customer service, and online. public meetings take place to inform the public on what changes are being considered, and to gather comments to help make decisions .
there aren' t many, but these folks really do need the people mover. we just can' t forget them. one solution is simply the scaled - down version of service being considered. or, there might be more creative solutions .
like anchorage, portland has a reputation for expensive housing and high living costs, but the city' s efficient light rail and bus systems make it easy for people to commute to more affordable nearby neighborhoods .
circuitous routes need fewer transfers. under the redesign, the people mover system would require more transfers, but riders won' t have to go to the city' s three transit centers — muldoon, dimond center and downtown — to do it, rudolph said .
service changes allow us to modify existing route alignments, schedules, bus stops and facilities in order to improve overall service. people mover' s goal is to maximize the efficiency of its existing resources, and allocate them accordingly based on ridership trends and route productivity .
paul fuhs, who is active in the fairview and east anchorage business groups, says the lack of affordable housing downtown forces many people to live in muldoon where costs are lower. more frequent public transit will expand job opportunities and help employers who need their people to be at work on time, fuhs told me .
driving into fairview, a few people boarded the 13 at a low - income housing complex at the bottom of a hill on medfra street. no one boarded at the anchorage senior activity center on east 19th avenue .
most people are finding they can agree with at least one of the concepts ,
rudolph said .
a lot of bus stops don' t have benches. some have been strategically removed in recent years based on recommendations from the anchorage police department after complaints about people loitering at bus stops all day and sleeping on the benches .
on emmanuel avenue, off boniface, two more people boarded. one was an older man using a walker .
urltoken is the official source for anchorage, alaska and southcentral alaska travel information on everything from outdoor adventures to metropolitan amenities .
he said he also hopes in making criticisms, people will offer ways to make the system work better for everyone .
we want to make sure that as many people are as close to the bus system as possible ,
berkowitz said .
by the numbers, this route is closest to most of the people who use the bus .
but at the
transit talks
public workshops this summer, people overwhelmingly favored walking farther to avoid waiting for the bus, rudolph said. he said transit officials are participating in long - term plans to make anchorage more friendly to pedestrians .
that' s good news for smartphone users, who can now look up people mover bus routes to a destination using the google maps application. desktop users can visit urltoken on the municipality website and enter information under the header
plan a trip
now visible on the right side to access the feature .
on a frigid morning at a bus stop in muldoon, anchorage transit planner bart rudolph traced a blue line on a map .
transit planner collin hodges discusses proposed people mover route concepts with rider danielle delie at an open house sponsored by the city’s public transportation department on friday, nov. 18, 2016, at the mountain view library. planning manager bart rudolph chats with another rider at back. (erik hill / adn archive 2016 )
scott pointed to a chart showing that between 30, 000 and 85, 000 fewer people would have access to any bus service under the two options, though a large number of people would have access to frequent service for the first time .
tim bradner is editor of the alaska legislative digest and is the visiting atwood professor of journalism at university of alaska anchorage this year .
municipal transportation managers also say reorganization will allow the system to operate without the current
hub and spoke
system, which has given us the downtown hub on sixth avenue with a bit of a seedy reputation. with a more dispersed system, people mover managers can plot where passengers make transfers and build smaller shelters there .
south anchorage assemblyman john weddleton, who owns bosco' s comics on spenard road, spoke after berkowitz at tuesday' s news conference. weddleton said he supported keeping some south anchorage service while making it easier for tourists to travel from one end of spenard to the other .
but with more buses arriving every 15 minutes, people won' t have to wait as long after their walk, rudolph said .
commuter routes to eagle river and south anchorage will preserve some service to the parts of the city with the lowest ridership, using smaller buses to cut back on fuel costs. smaller buses will also serve
neighborhood routes
in mountain view, northeast anchorage and government hill - fairview .
the expanded hours are in part aimed at accommodating more people with jobs that start or end outside of regular business hours, officials said .
this isn' t just a moderate - income issue, either. bill popp, president of the anchorage economic development corp. , said many in the millennial generation, often with higher incomes, want public transit as a matter of principle .
good public transit will make our city more attractive for younger people as a place to live and work, and for companies who employ these people ,
popp told me .
city planner thede tobish said developers see anchorage' s bus network, marked mostly by routes with hourly and limited weekend service, as a negative .
7a spenard / airport - dimond transit center to downtown transit center via northwood st. , strawberry rd. , jewel lake rd. , and anchorage international airport
anchorage is not the first city to reimagine its bus routes. officials here were inspired by houston, texas. in houston, the results have been mixed: after initially reporting a rise in ridership, the numbers were down in december, which officials blamed on an economic downturn and fewer people going to work .
one can easily see this in vibrant cities like portland, oregon, which has excellent public transit that adds to the attractiveness of the community for young people .
would have to travel further from home to get to a bus stop. fewer people will have easy access to any bus service, particularly in south anchorage. the city' s lightly used rush - hour route to chugiak - eagle river will be scrapped entirely, leaving only eagle river connect, an anchorrides van - type service .
as of july 1, 2012, university of alaska anchorage students must be enrolled in the current semester, use their wolfcards and swipe the card in the farebox card reader to ride for free. additionally, alaska pacific university, anchorage charter college and alaska career college students, staff and faculty may show their current semester school id and ride for free .
that sums up anchorage' s bus network: try to reach a little bit of everybody, and take time to do it. but a bold change appears to be coming .
buses now operate regularly throughout the municipality, which is good. but on many routes at the extremity, like where i live in south anchorage, there is very low ridership .
back to bus 60 in my neighborhood. as much as i see the efficiencies and common sense of consolidation, i do see people occasionally waiting for the bus in oceanview .
the way the system is designed now, people rarely have to walk further than a quarter mile to get to a bus stop. that distance could double under the current proposals .
she was adamantly against the more drastic proposal, known as the
100 percent
plan, to almost entirely cut bus service to south anchorage. she had appointments on that side of town .
e without bias by the city and police, instead of being protected as a
part if the team .
what about the rest of us? we' re the citizens of anchorage ,
a lot of lower 48 developers that look at anchorage, or just in general, tell us they won' t consider higher density if there' s no bus route ,
tobish said .
numerous u. s. cities, from new york to chicago to portland, oregon, have already rolled out the technology. anchorage officials started looking into it about four years ago, wilber said .
the final maps released tuesday reflect some of those comments, said city transit planner bart rudolph. in early drafts, transit officials had proposed cutting service to far south anchorage and to eagle river entirely .
rudolph, the transit planner, also pointed to the year of surveys and meetings, which found that anchorage residents were overwhelmingly willing to walk further to get a bus with more frequent, direct service .
another bus rider, matthew scott, 37, had a copy of the consultant' s report in his bag. he uses the bus to get to his job at pacific alaska wholesale in south anchorage .
102 eagle river / chugiak (mon - fri, am & pm rush - hour) - chickadee st. & eastside dr. to alaska native medical center via downtown transit center and university of alaska anchorage
returning to the business at hand, berkowitz said that if more money comes in, either from the state or federal government, the city can expand the new network to reach even more people .
of course some riders are on the bus because they find it better than coping with a car and finding parking, as well as reducing traffic congestion and the pollution caused by anchorage' s many private vehicles .
in 2012, brendan babb was part of a team of programmers who won the anchorage economic development corp.' s hackathon with a working model for the application. babb, a research technician for the alaska center for energy and power, had used the bus route feature on google maps while traveling in the san francisco bay area to speak at academic conferences. he wondered, like others, whether it could come to anchorage .
he said he also was concerned about so much authority being concentrated in mayor ethan berkowitz in stamping final approval on the change. the anchorage assembly is not scheduled to hold a hearing or a vote on the redesign .
faced with declining ridership and cuts driven by constricting budgets, and inspired by transit officials in other cities, like houston, texas, anchorage transit officials started surveying the public in april about ways to shake up the system .
7j spenard / airport - dimond transit center to downtown transit center via 88th ave. , raspberry rd. , collins way, and anchorage international airport (only serves the airport during monday - friday nights and weekends. )
what remained unclear tuesday: the plan for clearing snow and ice from anchorage sidewalks, particularly in neighborhoods. sidewalk snow removal is notoriously slow or nonexistent, with sidewalks used for snow storage by state and city street maintenance crews .
she said she could live with the less dramatic proposal, known as the
80 percent
plan. but instead of an overhaul in favor of frequent service, people should just learn the bus schedule, she said .
we' re still going to have ride guides; there' s still people who love to have that stuff on paper ,
wilber said .
this is just another tool that works for the community .
look down the column of times from your departure point then across to identify your arrival time. many people find it easier to plan a trip by working backwards from the time they want to arrive at their final destination .
anchorage' s current bus network dates back to 2002, oriented around the transit centers. routes change slightly from year to year, but the design of the system hasn' t seen a major shake - up since the day it began .
after months of studying anchorage' s bus routes, transit officials say they' ve decided on a major revamp aimed at making it easier to catch the bus in the city' s most populated areas at a cost of fewer neighborhood stops .
the reorganization would reduce or eliminate services at the extremity, depending which option is decided, so that service can be concentrated on the higher - use corridors that connect downtown with the midtown commercial and residential district and residential areas of east anchorage .
anchorage won' t gain or lose bus drivers because of the new plan. but riders may board smaller buses in some areas. transit officials plan to use 22 - foot buses for less - frequent and neighborhood routes to save money and fuel .
right now, the people are kind of upset when they get on the bus, because they' ve waited an hour ,
morgan said .
this will be every 15 minutes, which is going to make a big difference .
academic work bears out these relationships. the research is a little dated, but a 2011 study from the nonprofit center for transit - orientated development showed a link between growth in knowledge industries that employ professional, technical and scientific people within areas served by good transit systems .
if anchorage wants to add to its luster for outdoor recreation, there' s a connection to that too. i' ll never forget getting off a plane in salt lake city and boarding a bus with my gear for the drive up little cottonwood canyon to the alta and snowbird ski resorts .
the ride was quiet. in 45 minutes between muldoon and fairview, three people boarded. all of them got off at hospitals, the alaska native medical center and providence alaska medical center. over a few stops between the hospitals and downtown, the bus picked up no one .
this is the point that bill popp makes. if anchorage wants to build on its higher - wage, more knowledge - based economy, more efficient public transit will help. it will also help diversify the local economy because improved transit will make office parks, commercial centers and recreation possible in dispersed locations .
with more money, the city could expand the new network and reach more people, berkowitz said. he pointed to his administration' s attempts to gain a larger share of federal funds split with the alaska railroad as one potential source of transit dollars. those efforts have so far deadlocked .
instead of hourlong waits buses would come at 15 - minute or in some areas more frequent intervals. this has an important economic development aspect because it means people in those areas, many working in moderate - income service jobs, will be able to get to work and back more easily .
what i expect will happen, we' re going to hear a lot of pushback from people who are going to say,' i have to walk further to my bus stop,'
smith said .
i think that will be hard to hear, and hard to listen to .
but now, a new eagle river bus, route 92, will travel between the eagle river transit center to downtown anchorage in the morning and evening. residents of peters creek, chugiak and birchwood may need to drive to the transit center to catch the bus, but rudolph said the goal was to avoid cutting service entirely .
anchorrides is a shared ride service providing trips in compliance with various funding sources, including ada transportation service to people with disabilities that prevent them from using our fixed route system; senior citizens age 60 and over; and other coordinated trips. individuals may be eligible for anchorrides under multiple funding sources. each funding source has unique criteria .
anchorrides is a transportation provider for the state of alaska, senior and disability services to people eligible for the medicaid home and community base waiver program. eligibility and transportation unit must be pre - authorized by the state of alaska. recipients' care coordinators submit enrollment plans of care and pre - authorization information to the anchorrides medicaid specialist .
etter at all. the regular big bus drivers, most of them, they pretty much know how to stay on time, but some of the shuttle drivers, they need to learn how to stay on time with what is written in the bus schedule, because blowing through their runs and leaving people hanging is not right at all .
half fare includes seniors age 60 and over, youth age 5 - 18, individuals with medicare cards. proof of eligibility required at each boarding. veterans and people with qualifying disabilities must complete the half fare application process. download an application or you may pick one up from customer service. proof of eligibility required at each boarding. to view the application on a translatable webpage, click here .
i know the system is not that great when it comes to frequency compared to other parts of the country. i know most of the routes are hourly and it' s difficult for people to use them ,
scott said .
on the other hand, there' s broad enough coverage, if this is a system you need to use, you have a choice for where you can reside in the city .
and there' s now late - night airport service — route 40, with frequent service through spenard, will deliver riders to ted stevens anchorage international airport between 6 a. m. and 2 a. m. on weekdays. weekday service on all lines will run from 6 a. m. to midnight. weekends will also gain service, with buses running between 8 a. m. and 8 p. m. on saturday and 8 a. m. and 7 p. m. on sunday .
with stops almost everywhere and a route that takes nearly an hour to traverse 13 miles — that' s an understatement .
if you were designing a route that wanted to hit everyone without having them walk very far, this is the route ,
rudolph said .
now two redesign concepts are circulating created by portland - based consultant jarrett walker & associates .
but, in the densest parts of the city, buses will arrive much more quickly — every 15 or 30 minutes, instead of by the hour. and
both redesign proposals mark dramatic departures from the status quo. and it' s all happening somewhat quickly. officials expect to pick a preferred concept by the end of january, and hope the change will take effect aug. 1 .
on a recent monday, at 10: 15 a. m. , the 13 bus pulled away from the intersection of muldoon and debarr roads .
near the intersection of northern lights boulevard and boniface drive, about 15 minutes into the ride, a man in a baseball cap and purple winter coat with a fur ruff boarded. then the bus turned down a residential street off boniface. it bounced over speed bumps .
streets, cul - de - sacs and parking lots would become much rarer. buses would mostly stick to major roads .
route 13 hits critical areas, like the hospitals and the universities, rudolph said. but it' s one of the most circuitous and least - used routes in the city, he said. the route averages about 19 riders for every hour the bus is in service .
over the past decade, budget cuts have chipped away at service, rudolph said. the proposed redesign is about
using the exact same budget we have today, but using it differently and in a more efficient manner ,
he said. city officials say they can' t afford more buses and drivers for the system .
take northern lights boulevard. that stretch of road has been designated by city planners as prime for redevelopment .
if buses came every 15 minutes along the roadway instead of every hour, businesses and developers could see an opportunity in recruiting employees or in saving money on parking, said city planner tom davis, who has been working on an update to the city' s land - use map in consultation with transit officials .
the nearest bus stop under the
100 percent
design would be up the icy hill for seniors and other neighborhood residents .
but they may not have to walk it. for those who qualify, door - to - door paratransit service, with anchorrides, isn' t going to be affected, rudolph said .
beverly moore, 85, said she' s ridden the bus four decades and regularly attends transit meetings. she was wearing a long purple jacket and had a gray bag that said
peace .
in an interview, berkowitz countered that the redesign plans grew entirely out of public feedback .
but berkowitz, who campaigned on improving the city' s public transit system, supports a big change. he said the city has changed its bus - use patterns substantially in the past two decades .
the notion of being static … just doesn' t make sense to me ,
berkowitz said .
rudolph said the city wants to build a
backbone
of frequent, useful service that can expand over time, rather than sticking to a model that tries to get as close as possible to everyone' s front door .
the two preferred redesign concepts were released in early november. the first round of public meetings and open houses wrapped up nov. 19. feedback has largely been positive so far, rudolph said .
a second, final series of public meetings with members of the city' s public transit advisory board will start dec. 5 .
advisory board chair, jed smith, said he supports changing the system. but he also plans listen to testimony with an open mind .
html public
- / / w3c / / dtd xhtml 1. 0 transitional / / en
urltoken
our mission is to connect our community with safe, reliable transportation options; emphasizing customer service while providing economic, social and environmental benefits .
the current browser does not support web pages that contain the iframe element. to use this web part, you must use a browser that supports this element, such as internet explorer version 5 or later .
the results come with walking directions to bus stops, travel time, transfer opportunities and a fare estimate .
after the hackathon, babb volunteered to work with the municipality' s information technology department to develop the technology. that effort kicked into high gear within the last six months and included a monthlong review by google .
the technology currently draws on schedule data. real - time bus data is provided by the bustracker application .
bustracker, babb pointed out, is more helpful for those searching routes on a computer. it is less accessible for mobile users, who now simply need to change the transportation mode in the google maps app when searching a route to a destination .
the plan is to make that data available to the public and other developers for the creation of mobile apps, babb said .
i' m excited that the data is in there ,
he said .
there' s a lot of other applications that can use it, not just google .
to view information regarding the 2018 service change, scheduled for monday, july 2, 2018, click here .
every day, changes occur within our community that can affect the transit system. we respond by regularly reviewing these changes and determine if adjustments need to be made to better serve you .
senior transportation is provided with funding and guidelines from the older americans act. senior citizens age 60 and over may receive trips for specific trip purposes. the eligible trip purposes allow access to non - emergency health care, adult daycare, senior meal programs, pharmacies, and employment and volunteer sites. for more information, see the rider guide located on the policies page .
direct secure message (dsm): kim. mattson @ urltoken phone: 907. 343. 2577
as the state - designated coordinated transportation service, anchorrides also has contracts to provide trips with various local and non - profit organizations .
officials published maps of the new system tuesday morning. at first glance, the maps look like the city has fewer routes and less coverage .
but there' s a trade - off. on major roads, buses will be arriving much more frequently. many routes are transforming into straight shots between two points for a faster trip instead of winding through neighborhood streets .
some buses will come every 15 minutes compared to an hour now on most runs — though that means fewer stops overall and more walking for riders, which may be difficult in winter .
it' s an exciting time for us to try something new, because the thing that was old wasn' t getting the job done ,
berkowitz said .
it' s not bus - i - ness as usual .
when no one immediately laughed, berkowitz added :
it' s a pun .
in the new system, all of the route numbers will be changing. four new
frequent routes
— re - numbered 10, 20, 30 and 40 — will run along northern lights boulevard, debarr road and 15th avenue, as well as through mountain view and spenard. on top of that, more buses will run every 30 minutes .
another commuter bus, route 91, will run between the dimond transit center and the huffman business park and oceanview drive on the old seward highway .
also in response to demand, officials created the new route 21 in mountain view, which will ferry residents from neighborhood roads to nearby shopping malls and grocery stores. some residents said they didn' t want to walk through the neighborhood at night .
only one route is unchanged: the 9, re - numbered as the 35, which runs from the dimond transit center to downtown along arctic boulevard .
with eight new transfer points, the redesign effectively dismantles the current
hub and spoke
system that often forces travelers to transfer downtown .
transit officials originally promised a final decision on the new bus system at the end of january. rudolph said the extra months have been spent in part on finding creative ways to accommodate concerns, like retaining service to eagle river .
the union that represents city bus drivers praised the overhaul tuesday. tim morgan, the business representative for teamsters local 959, said union members were excited by the changes. he said he expected it to lead to better customer service .
morgan said he assured union members that no jobs would be lost. if the approach is successful, the city may be able to expand the number of drivers, he said .
asked about the sidewalk issue, berkowitz blamed the state of alaska. he said it would be
easier
if state - owned and managed roads, like northern lights and debarr, were plowed more quickly .
berkowitz said the new routes were designed to ease the walking burden for likely riders .
correction: an earlier version of this story said the new airport bus ran on route 30. it' s actually route 40 .
back to the previous page, bus stop isn’t in the automated system... though the sign says effective october 2017
lly be here... since bus stops no longer give you a time as to when the bus might be here... only the main stops which i am no where near... not to mention that i had to walk over a half mile to get to the stop... . instead of 1 / 2 a block and that you have to go out of the app to get any info on the bus is beyond stupid
in october 2017 than i have had in the previous 10 years of regularly using the bus system. supposedly
etc .) this has not actually improved service at all. i still wait, on average, at least 20 minutes past when a bus is supposed to arrive, despite buses being scheduled to stop every 15 minutes, the only difference
weather and heard they had been waiting over a half hour, due to an accident up the road. we saw not one but two nearly - emp
15 minutes for the next scheduled bus to arrive to finally be on our way. i don' t see how this is
improved
today was another bad example. the bus i caught was around 15 minutes late when it arrived at tudor + pipe
r. at a stop in anmc, the driver stood up and announced that anyone that was not going directly to muldoon would need to step off the bus and get on the one behind us. i figured this was an attempt to make up time by skipping a large number of stops, and since my stop is muldoon + bo
undary, i stayed on the bus. only when we arrived at the muldoon transit stop did he state that he would not be making any other stops other than the va. had i known this earlier, i would have switched buses. instead i had to add a mile to my walk home in below - free
routes for their public bus system, they need to sell the contract to a private company. i use the
bus to get to and from 2 jobs, and they treat me like a vagrant just for using their service. i literally can' t list all of my complaints
against them, except for the main one, which is that because the bus is running by the city, and the city doesn' t give a shit about the working poor, you can' t get concerns addressed at all. also, the transit center employees are super abusive and hateful to their customers .
and what can we do? my car was stolen and i have to use the bus until i can afford a new one .
we pay for the bus and the cops and the courts... why aren' t we part of the team? but i digress .
so just waited at a stop for 40 minutes. mind you the bus is supposed to be there every 15. i had one bus pass by that was
out of service
but it really didn' t
pass by
as it stopped and let someone
off but not me on. called to find out what' s going on and dispatch informed me his system showed a bus came by and when i informed him that bus was out of order he was not surprised .
if they are running late they will switch to out of order so the following bus will not catch them. nevermind that it' s anywhere between 0 to 20 degrees but god forbid you pick someone up right? and it sounded like a normal acceptable
talking to the guy. this was the main thing i worried about with the
improveme
nts
. i already have to walk 2 some blocks to get to the stop but waiting in the cold... gre
it' s the first tuesday of july, and you know what that means; a new department spotlight for # transittuesday! this month is all about our anchorrides department, providing paratransit and coordinated transportation services for eligible riders. for more on anchorrides and to view previous months spotlights, visit urltoken # transittuesday # anchorrides # publictransportation # peoplemover
on the final planning division # transittuesday, we take a deeper look into the process of implementing a service change, much like the one we have planned to go into effect monday, july 2, 2018. you can catch up on all the # transittuesday features at urltoken, and learn more about our upcoming 2018 service change by visiting urltoken
take a look at the individual pieces that come together to form the puzzle that is the planning team on this week' s # transittuesday! each member is an integral component in keeping our transit system operating efficiently and successfully. remember to visit urltoken for more behind - the - scenes looks !
! this month is all about our anchorrides department, providing paratransit and coordinated transportation services for eligible riders .
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day pass good for unlimited rides on day of use. expires at midnight .
30 - day pass good for 30 consecutive days beginning on day of first use .
smart cards reduce boarding time and can be replaced when lost or stolen for a fee. the cards can be loaded with a 1 - week pass or 30 - day pass. simply tap the card on the farebox when boarding. adult fares can be reloaded downtown at the transit center using the ticket vending machine. download a smart card application here .
located in the downtown transit center only, the ticket vending machine sells passes, tickets and adult fare smart cards. at this time, the tvm is cash only .
how to ride the bus dvd is available on youtube or from customer service. dvds have subtitles in english, spanish, tagalog and korean .
look at the bus route system map found the back of the schedule book and at some bus stops to determine which route (s) serve your origin and destination .
identify your departure and destination timepoints. always use the timepoint before your stop .
two helpful tools are located online. the bus tracker web page provides information on where the bus is and estimted arrival times at specific stops. the my neighborhood web page lets you type in an address to find bus routes in the vicinity. choose
local services
from the drop down menu .
arrive at the bus stop five minutes prior to the scheduled arrival time of the timepoint shown before your bus stop location. all bus stops are clearly marked with a blue, green and white bus stop sign that has round decals indicating the routes that serve that stop .
before boarding, identify the route name, number and direction of travel, to ensure it is going to your destination. the bus route name and route number are on the front of the bus above the windshield and on the right hand side of the entrance to the bus. you may obtain and use a “hailing kit” if you have visual disabilities. (see page 8 in ride guide )
make sure the bus operator can see you standing at the stop by facing the bus or by signaling with a small flashlight. sometimes, especially during the winter months, it is difficult for bus operators to see you unless you signal them .
if the bus is not the route you need, and you are alone at the stop, wave the bus by with a wide motion .
board the bus at the front door. alert the operator if you need the ramp deployed or have the coach lowered .
have the exact fare ready. operators do not make change. notify the bus operator if you wish to purchase a day pass before you deposit money into the farebox, which allow you to ride all routes on the same day for one price. place money or ticket into the farebox .
the seats in the front of the bus are reserved for senior citizens and disabled passengers, so the operator may ask you to move if those seats are needed .
when the bus is approximately two blocks away from your stop, signal the driver to stop by pulling the cord above the window once or by pushing the signal tab on the wall once (next to accessible seating) .
exit using the rear door and stay clear of the bus after exiting. be alert as you get off the bus .
bicyclers should notify the bus operator of the need to retrieve a bicycle and exit through the front door .
never cross the street in front of a public bus. wait for the bus to pull away so you have a clear view of the street .
cross at the cross walk or street corner. if there is a light, wait for it to turn green or for the walk signal. follow all pedestrian rules .
have additional questions? call our customer service staff or ask about free travel training .
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maps & schedules note: bus service does not run on memorial day, independence day, labor day, thanksgiving day, christmas day, and new year’s day .
2 lake otis - dimond transit center to downtown transit center via lake otis pkwy. and 36th ave .
8 northway - muldoon transfer center to downtown transit center via turpin st. , boniface pkwy. , commercial dr. , and 3rd ave .
15 15th ave / debarr - muldoon transfer center to downtown transit center via debarr rd. and 15th ave .
6102, 6106, 6113, 6115, 6119 to guelph transit commission 152 - 156 in 2000 .
this page was last modified on 16 january 2018, at 03: 21 .
i hear a lot about budget deficits in state and local government, but i don' t hear many creative suggestions to reorganize the way public services are delivered .
the plan isn' t aimed so much at saving money — the same number of buses will operate, but it would make improvements for efficiency and make the system sustainable in the long run .
take bus 60, for example, which serves my neighborhood. i see it all the time, on the hour, on schedule, regular, dependable ––and typically empty. bus 60 costs $ 2 million a year to operate, i' m told, and it really pains me to see it moving down oceanview drive with no one aboard .
there' s a connection between this and portland' s vibrant economy too .
it should be no surprise that employers in service industries supporting higher - income knowledge industries like food, accommodation, recreation and the arts show similar relationships to public transit .
my point is that we shouldn' t just wring our hands about the lousy fiscal situation our regional governments are in. we should get busy with solutions and not be afraid to think outside the box .
the views expressed here are the writer' s and are not necessarily endorsed by alaska dispatch news, which welcomes a broad range of viewpoints. to submit a piece for consideration, email to commentary @ alaskadispatch. com. send submissions shorter than 200 words to letters @ alaskadispatch. com .
seniors and others who qualify need to have one dollar in exact change, instead of 50 cents, when they board for one trip. they also need to show proof of eligibility which includes a picture id each time they board .
seniors 60 and older; youths age 5 to 18, and individuals with medicare cards are eligible for the half - price ride. a medicare card will substitute for a picture id .
riders can choose to buy an id card at the downtown transit center. internet access to urltoken offers a wealth of information about the public transportation system. there is also a print guidebook, which shows routes and provides other information, but it is the august issue, so while it' s still valid for routes and handy tips, the new fare schedule is not in it .
asking for information by making a phone call is also an option at the rideline, 343 - 6543. rideline operators are available monday through friday during the usual daytime business hours. the number is easy to find, it' s prominently displayed on the buses themselves .
supporters of public transportation are quick to note that the ability to take the bus is critical for those who need rides if they are going to be able to go to work or get to the grocery store or to a medical appointment .
at present the main bus depot is downtown. mayor sullivan wants the city to buy a piece of federal property in midtown near lowe' s and home depot at 40th avenue and denali street to build a new transit center. if that effort is successful, the city will also need construction money and the hub of the system would look more like a wheel with routes as spokes and the hub in the middle.
the people mover is the public transportation agency that serves metropolitan anchorage , alaska . it is owned and operated by the municipality of anchorage , with service primarily within city limits and to nearby suburbs , such as eagle river and birchwood . 
the people mover is the public transportation agency that serves metropolitan anchorage, alaska. it is owned and operated by the municipality of anchorage, with service primarily within city limits and to nearby suburbs, such as eagle river and birchwood.
the people mover is the public transportation agency that serves metropolitan anchorage, alaska. it is owned and operated by the municipality of anchorage, with service primarily within city limits and to nearby suburbs, such as eagle river and birchwood.