By DAREL MADRIDLong time Park & Ride and ACT rider
With regard to Mr. Mark Paris’s previous letter posted on Feb. 6, I wholeheartedly agree with his kind observation.
The new schedule is a serious problem. If the change was intended to improve service and convenience, then I would say it failed on both counts.
The old schedule which took years to refine worked quite well for locals, Park & Ride, LANL taxi and RTD commuters alike. You could always count on getting to your destination within a reasonable time frame.
Unfortunately, that is not the case with the new schedule. As Mr. Paris pointed out, there is a major lack of coordination with the other public transportation systems and in some cases even with other ACT routes. Also, the daily rotation of drivers and routes eliminated the added value of service, familiarity and trust between riders and drivers.
I noticed the seriousness of the problem on Day 1 of the new schedule and I immediately notified the ACT office when I observed my Route 6 bus leaving the Transit Center at the very same time Park & Ride buses were arriving. Several of my colleagues who ride those Park & Ride buses have had to wait an extra 30 minutes or more for the next ACT bus. In all fairness, the folks at ACT authorized the Route 6 bus to leave two minutes late in order to try an accommodate those riders but it still hasn’t worked out.
To the powers that be at ACT, there is no shame to admit that you had all the best intentions in the world but ultimately it just didn’t work out. Please revert back to the old schedule. Thank you.
