Recent Open High School graduates Amari Brown and Vincent Greene say they've found some of the route changes disorienting. See their comments, and those of other bus riders, below. (Photo by Sarah King)
The long-awaited GRTC Pulse rapid transit bus line touted a ridership of more than 14,000 people its first two days in service as part of an initiative to offer free rides on the Pulse and freshly overhauled local bus routes through this Saturday. By the end of Monday’s service schedule, Richmond City Council also approved a measure to create a special fund to reimburse businesses negatively affected by the prolonged Pulse construction.
Individuals, families and even Mayor Levar Stoney took to Twitter to showcase their adventures across the city via bus, but some of the system’s most frequent riders, who have used GRTC buses as their primary means of transportation, say they feel left in the dark after the local route changes. Many longtime local stops were cloaked this week with signs reading in red letters, “BUS STOP PERMANENTLY OUT OF SERVICE.”
However, GRTC Transit System officials say they took steps to publicize the changes ahead of time.
“The first thing we made sure was in place at launch Sunday was to change out all the kiosk information explaining the temporary transfer plaza is only used on Sundays and at night, and then we updated the system map in all of those kiosks so they could look at all the new bus routes, where they went all across the city,” says Carrie Rose Pace, GRTC communications director.
The scene at the temporary transfer plaza, where GRTC buses formerly passed by the Richmond Department of Social Services building and John Marshall Courthouse on a routine basis, was noticeably less busy Tuesday than it had been on a typical weekday, but frustration and confusion was palpable as regular riders mulled about asking each other for help getting where they needed to go.
For some, the new local routes caused anxiety about missing pre-scheduled appointments near the government center, as Monday was the first time they learned of the changes in effect. A source of frustration for many confused riders outside the social services building was access to resource information via internet or smartphone, which can be used to find route and ride information at bus stops by scanning a QR code or downloading the app.
“We’ve also extended our call center hours from 4:30 in the morning to 11:30 at night [Monday through Friday] to help people and answer questions,” Pace says. “Now, call volume is highest between noon and 7 p.m., so we hope that if you plan your trip in advance, which we encourage folks to do, so the call center can better assist folks who need more information while on their trip.”
Pace says weekend call center hours will generally be from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., and there are paper pocket-guides with a map and new route and system information available at locations such as City Hall and library branches.
“We’ve been distributing those for the last couple weeks so people can pick those up and they have a map on them which shows where it goes, when it runs, the new name and number so you don’t have to have a smartphone or access to a computer to figure it out in advance,” Pace says.
She also points out that it is not bus drivers’ primary responsibility to answer customers’ questions.
“The bus driver will assist if they’re able to do so safely,” she says. “If they don’t feel they can carry on a conversation and safely operate the vehicle, then their first priority is going to be to operate the vehicle.”
Businesses along the Pulse route are also adjusting to the changes caused by the new system.
Second District Councilwoman Kimberly Gray has pushed for reimbursement or aid to business owners who were affected by prolonged construction — which concluded a week before the contractual deadline, but eight months longer than initially planned — since last year when the contractor, Lane Construction, missed all three early-completion incentive deadlines in through the fall and winter months.
The ordinance authorizes the city to accept $280,000 from GRTC to create a “Pulse BRT Business Support Special Fund” for the purpose of assisting businesses directly affected by construction, primarily along Broad Street in the city’s 2nd District, by providing “parking- and beautification-related programs.”
The $280,000 transfer to the special operating fund comes from savings GRTC says were accrued from the delayed launch date. More than $400,000 in savings were spent on hiring and training bus operators for the Pulse’s fleet of 10 buses. As for landscaping and beautification initiatives, a staff report on the special fund mentions possibilities such as cleaning sidewalks and planting flowers.
Here are some people we talked to about how things are going so far with the new bus system:
Adam Hussein (photo by Sarah King)
Adam Hussein, owner of Blue Nine Market at 16 E Broad St.:
I’ve been at this location since 2007. Business went down by half [when they moved the bus stop], so that's why I'm here every day. I let my employees go — it’s only me working 6 o'clock until 10 o'clock at night. I have one [employee] come in at maybe 3 o'clock or sometimes 2 or 4 and if I go shopping, I leave him here. It's just the two of us now; before, I had three more that are gone now. I had to shut down [my other store, too] … because I can't be two places at once. Haven’t seen any changes yet, but maybe after a week, two weeks, we'll see how it goes — I cannot judge yet.
Amari Brown and Vincent Greene, recent graduates of Open High School (shown at top):
Brown: The bus is pretty much the only way we get around. Our school, the school I used to go to, I just graduated — the bus doesn't go down there anymore, and a lot of people use that bus to get to school, so that's kind of an issue.
Greene: Coming from South Side — we just rode the GRTC from there to here, the [Government Center] Pulse station — they don't go through the Riverside neighborhood like they used to; they kind of swerve around the other side of Semmes, but they service different neighborhoods ... they don't service the school, and I've also noticed that a lot of the stops they've changed around have just confused people. It looks like they're still servicing the same areas, just slightly different – but it's also hard to tell from one side of town.
The main thing i've noticed with the Pulse is less about the ride experience on it and more about the time it takes to get from stop to stop. Sometimes it's really on time — especially like from Willow Lawn to Scott's Addition is really fast usually, but sometimes they're staggered to the point that two come on the same side back-to-back — like I think right now at this stop, one bus comes in like nine minutes and another one comes in 11 minutes, so I guess that's good, at least for now because there's so many people on it ... my only concern is, will one direction ride faster than the other? It seems faster to go from Rocketts Landing to Willow Lawn than from Willow Lawn to Rocketts Landing.
It would be nice if they gave a comparative thing of which buses and routes became which. We naturally know the South Side buses, 71 and 70, those became 1a and 2a and 2b, but they don't really make an effort of being like "These are the new stops" or "These are the ones we've moved'"— you just kind of have to notice like, "Oh! that's out of order now."
Brown: Yeah — the app doesn't work actually. Currently the route part crashes, it's like they haven't updated it or something. All the stops work, and they moved the stops on the map, but the routes are just like, "Nope!"
Dave and Mary Hardwich (photo by Sarah King)
Dave Hardwich:
It’s our first time in years — we decided to ride the bus today just for the heck of it, really, just to see what the experience was like with the rapid transit. It was all right, it was pretty good — if I were still working, it would be probably a pretty viable way of commuting to work. We live in the West End, near Short Pump, so we drove down to Willow Lawn and came from there. We just rode it down to Rocketts Landing and just got off at Main Street station and got something to eat at one of the [restaurants] down on Main Street and ate on the Capitol grounds. I think [we will do it again sometime] so as long as the humidity isn't up there — today's the perfect day.
Lamont Reid (photo by Sarah King)
Lamont Reid:
[The Pulse is] air-conditioned, but it can't come quick enough. I'm just trying to go to Rite Aid, but I've been waiting about 20 to 25 minutes. I ride the bus on a daily basis — there’s a stop on the corner right by my house. But yeah, the new local routes are different. It's not good for me, but I guess it is for other people. I guess it's all right — they say it'll take you quicker than it used to go, but I’m still waiting for this bus.
Claude Hodges (photo by Sarah King)
Claude Hodges:
Yesterday was sort of different from the usual because I hadn't gathered any information as far as receiving the bus schedule and the routes. Then the bus routes said if you have a smartphone or something like that you can use the apps, but being that I have a Safelink phone, I can't get the apps.
I wasn't late [to my appointment yesterday] because I usually leave about an hour early — but today was better than yesterday because I learned about the Pulse bus going through as far as the connector and caught my bus up at Marshall and 30th to get to class.
They could've sent out better information than what they already have. As far as folks that use the Safelink or either the Access phone, they can't get to the apps and it's confusing.
Jadius Murchison (photo by Sarah King)
Jadius Murchison:
It’s my first time in years on the bus today. The wait time was longer than usual because it didn't come with what the schedule said online, but it was pretty smooth for the 10 minutes I was on it. The bus driver didn't have a lot of information for me, so that wasn't good. She pretty much said today was her first time on the route so she couldn't really help me with where I was going, so that wasn't very helpful at all; that driver should've been more informed.
I was coming from Hull Street to the transfer plaza — my daughter will hopefully be taking advantage of the free rides [for RPS students in the fall]. She'll be coming from South Side to Thomas Jefferson High School, so that's why I was trying to figure it out so I can be of more assistance to her. She’s out of zone for her school because she's in the [International Baccalaureate] program, so I'm thinking about trying it out more this week with my younger daughter since it's free.
We can get to the Science Museum and I can try to see how this Pulse situation works, so I'm going to try a little more than today because right now I'm just confused. I’m taking the bus home, and I'm trying to figure out where to go right now. I pretty much downloaded the routes and schedules on my phone from online and I did learn that they don't come to the transfer plaza 'til after 7 p.m. and I just don't think that's a good idea.
I was coming to social services, so I was familiar with when they first redid it that all buses come here, but now they don't, so that was kind of a hiccup. I thought i could easily get on the bus and be here but I had to get off somewhere else and run over here so I wouldn't be late for my appointment.
Wendy Watkins (photo by Sarah King)
Wendy Watkins:
Today it wasn't so good because I didn't get off at the right spot. The bus driver wouldn't tell you where you can get off at, so I really am confused about the bus routes — I can't give you heads or tails of it; i'm lost just as much as the next person is with no smartphone, no app.
Thank God I wasn’t late to where I needed to go today — I got up here probably about an hour ahead of time before my appointment and I’m glad I did, because the bus driver just about carried me to Highland Park.
I think they could have told people, "If you're gonna get off at a certain stop, get off now." I think that would've been a better way and appropriate way to go about it. I was over there on Clay Street, to down here I had to walk. They could do better, a little better — just letting people know where to get off at before they go too far down. If they could just do that, I'd be all right with them. … If it wasn't for someone like us catching the bus and paying their bus fare, you might not have a salary. Just be more caring for the people that have to catch a bus because they can't afford to own a car and look out for your people.
I just don't think [the bus drivers were] ready — the people riding the bus [are confused] and frustrated. ... I'm sitting right here for a few minutes because i'm having problems with my leg and need to take my time getting from A to B and catching the bus. I hope I don't have to go to Clay [Street] to catch the bus again, so I'm trying to find someone who knows exactly where I need to go to catch the bus and which bus I need to catch.
James Barnes (photo by Sarah King)
James Barnes, clerk at Jefferson Loan Office/Pawn Shop at 10 E Broad St.:
I’ve worked here almost two, three years. The Pulse construction slowed down business big time because all those people disappeared that were normally out there. I couldn't put a percentage on it, but it was definitely a noticeable decrease in foot traffic. ... I haven't heard of any help for affected businesses, but it sounds like a good idea; yeah, that's a surprising thing from this city.
Patrick Godfrey, owner of Velocity Comics at 819 W. Broad St.:
I rode [the Pulse] on Sunday out of curiosity and it was a total mess. The construction was a nightmare; it was unending; none of the dates were hit accurately. We saw a sizeable downturn in business over — what, a year and a half? There was a confluence of other factors as well, but I would attribute probably 10 percent down just from the bus. A lot of customers [were] complaining about how hard it was to get here and park here … parking has now been restored on our side of the street and they've converted it from two-hour parking to one-hour parking, which I do think is an improvement because there's more turnover, and they've limited the parking on these side streets to one hour which I think is actually better than what it used to be.
So now that construction is done, it hasn't been a concern at all. I had a chat with Mayor Stoney about my concerns at one point; he was great about it — it wasn't like during office hours — I saw him out. He was very nice and also he had actually already heard of me and knew I wasn't a big fan of this whole thing, which was pretty funny, because I've been fairly public, I guess, about my concerns. ... So [with the special business fund] they're not just going to write a check; they're just doing something that they think you should do — so you're not actually getting the money back; so it's not real. That's one of those not-real facts. That's something that sounds like they're doing you a favor, but they’re not. As of right now, I have neutral feelings about all this because things have kind of stabilized around here, I don't think it's gonna hurt us anymore, nor do I think it will help us.