Solution to Route Cuts

OK, but back to the subject of route cuts. My belief is that Port Authority should tackle this issue from the entirely opposite angle. Think about this. Go back to our hypothetical situation. This time, rather than cutting routes, get more people to ride the routes already in place. Simple idea, hard to execute. I firmly believe, though, that if Port Authority improved certain aspects of their system, most notably improving the information available at bus/T stops, more people would use the bus. My time in DC and London has implanted this belief in me. In London, for example, at every bus stop there is, along with the standard listing of buses that stop there:

• Timetables for all buses that stop there
• Route maps, usually in the form of straight line schematics, showing major stops/destinations
• Area maps, showing other area bus stops
• Area maps, showing all bus routes passing through the area
• Lists of which buses stop at which bus stops in the area, so if you aren't at the right bus stop you can easily find the one you should be at
• Index of major stops/destinations with cross references to bus routes that travel there
• Area maps, showing night buses in the area with timetables
• Electronic screen showing next three-four buses arriving, and how long until they arrive (only at major stops)

The idea behind this is that the easier you make it to ride the bus, the more like you are to actually ride it. Even being from Pittsburgh and using public transportation often, I still find it somewhat intimidating to ride a bus I have never rode before. I have, on a number of occasions, made the decision to drive rather than take the bus for this reason. If Port Authority provided maps, timetables, and information at bus stops, more people would ride the bus in the first place, and less route/frequency cuts would be necessary.