MTA schedule changes hurt riders
Thank you for bringing attention to the sudden changes recently made by the Maryland Transit Administration (“Baltimore bus route changes wreak havoc, group says,” Sept. 16). I am a daily commuter who depends on the No. 58 bus to get to and from work. Starting Aug. 29, a new schedule for the No. 58 bus was implemented. This was unknown to the frequent riders, and it has caused me and many other daily commuters to be up to 90 minutes late to work with similar delays on the way home. The major concerns I have include the lack of notice and the dramatic increase in wait times due to the decrease in bus frequency.
MTA did not update the No. 58 bus schedules online nor did they make available any printed schedules at the MTA office downtown or at Metro station displays. Nor was anything posted online on the MTA’s website or Facebook page. In addition, the changes were not listed on the “Fall Changes” posters nor were any media announcements made public. Planning requires advance notice. These “small” changes and “tweaks” (as MTA considers them) have had huge implications for families of the daily commuters who depend on the service.
MTA spokesman Ryan Nawrocki says, “Routes with chronically late buses now have less frequent — but more reliable — service.”
That is not true. I can assure you that the cuts to the No. 58 bus line have not improved reliability.
General traffic congestion has a huge impact on the arrival of the buses, and that has not changed, but the wait time in between bus arrivals has quadrupled from 15 minutes to 60 minutes or more. For both morning and evening bus commuters, this is even more of a problem for those using the No. 58 bus to connect to other routes and modes of transportation heading to Washington, D.C., and other parts of Maryland.
What I find disturbing is that MTA continues to state that they care about the people they serve, yet their actions indicate otherwise. There are many people like me who heavily depend on public transportation. We need service that is frequent and reliable provided by an entity that is caring and in tune with the people it serves. We need MTA to truly show that they care and not just say it.
We do not need MTA’s feigned apologies and vain validations for their actions. If they truly care, they will fix their errors as soon as they are brought to their attention and ensure the good of the people who depend upon their service.