Apr 2

What would it take?

| 3 comments | Getting There |

What would it take to get you to take the bus? What about to go for a hike?

The Bay Area has several bus systems that drop riders off at some pretty beautiful trailheads. From the Stagecoach in Marin to the County Connection in Contra Costa County, there are options and opportunities. But there’s just something about a bus that takes some of the fun away. Or does it?

Will Doig wrote this piece in Salon on why we should love the bus (he gets bonus points in my book for this reference). Then he was interviewed on Talk of the Nation on NPR (listen here… be sure to listen for the Bay Area callers about half way through). Will and Neil Conan talked about the time it takes to wait for a bus, the creature comforts (or lack thereof), urban design, and stigma.

Fast Company wrote about this, too. What if buses were cool? What if everyone – not just those that had to – actually wanted to ride them?

Do you take the bus to get outside?  If not, what would it take?

 

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  • Anna

    Being car-free, it has been difficult to find public transportation to get to the trails early on the weekend mornings.  BART doesn’t start until 8am, which is usually too late to meet with hiking or running groups.  It also takes much much longer than driving.

    Then again, if more people were to take the bus or public transportation, then there may be more options available early weekend mornings.  I took the bus from downtown Berkeley to Tilden Park on a nice Sunday morning, and I was the only passenger.  It was very easy, but most people think driving up is the only option.

    I think there should be more transit and trails outings to show people how easy it is.  I think it works well for the bicycle advocacy groups so that people are more comfortable with biking on the streets.  I would be happy to volunteer for these outings.

    • Transit and Trails

      Thanks for your comment, Anna!  You’re right – taking transit can make scheduling outings hard.  We hope that we can profile some great trips outdoors that are easy to do on transit – even early on weekend mornings. So stay tuned to our blog for that, and also get in touch with us about leading some Transit & Trails outings!  

      • Anna

        Ok, I sent an email to blog [at] transitandtrails [dot] org.  Looking forward to promoting this advocacy.  I’ve already told some of my bicyclist friends about alt. ride.