30 Days of Plight. Stephen Dare goes JTA every day.

[stephElf]

I tried to use the JTA Plan a Trip tool on their website yesterday and I about blew my brains out. 

I am a web designer and from NYC... so between the two, I should have been able to figure it out.  But I couldn't.  It didn't recognize half of my destinations and the names of the lines make no freaking sense.

Right now it costs me about $4.75 per day in gas to drive to work and about a 15 - 20 minute trip.

I thought out of curiosity I would do a test to see how long it would take and how much it would cost me via public transportation.

I could never quite figure my route out from Emerson/Phillips to close to Baptist Medical Center by the Bartram Publix ... but the best I could guess was $2 each way... b/c of transferring... sweating my ass off in the Florida heat from a lot of walking ... and about 90 minutes each way ... if the bus even shows up.

If anyone can figure out the route... please enlighten me.

Gas would have to be like $10/gallon to justify that commute.  Too bad we don't have a decent train system...

Anyway, interesting post and I'll be interested to hear how the 30 days goes...

[Lunican]

JTA could solve the route planning problems for their riders by contacting Google and getting set up with their transit mapping system. http://www.google.com/transit

http://www.youtube.com/v/MngAUnhDDbg

[stephElf]

steph elf.  The Bartram publix?  Is that the one by Old Atlantic and University?

It is on Old St. Augustine Road.  There is the Publix Plaza. And then there is the Hospital, Applebee's & Starbucks.  I work close to the hospital and Applebees.  Right at 95 & St. Aug. Road

[stephElf]

/quote]

hahah.  so basically it would prolly be a 2 hour commute each way to go 17 miles.... if there wasn't a transfer it wouldn't be so bad.

Doesn't it seems silly that every bus goes to and from downtown? .... If I could take a bus straight down phillips highway all the way to st. augustine road that would make SO much more sense.  Then it might only be like 30 minutes total of walking and a 45 min bus ride or so... for 40 bucks a month that might be worth it since I could sit on the bus and read or something....

Maybe one of these days I will test it out for the heck of it... I'd have to leave my house at 7 am tho vs 8:45 to make sure I wasn't late for work.

Back in 2003 I lost my license for 90 days for wreckless driving (yes, yes, I was a bad, young driver). At the time I was living in NJ.  My normal commute was 45 min driving.  After I had no license, I had to get dropped off at the train, then take the train into Newark, then switch onto a bus to Moonachie and then walk for about 5 - 10 minutes. It was 2.5 hours each way ... also being approached on a regular basis by some real characters. The bus was far worse then the train.  That was a learning experience....

Thanks for looking up the route!

[stephElf]

So I looked at the R5 and the L7 bus schedules on the JTA website... neither one mention Emerson & Phillips
or St. Aug Road.

That is why their website stinks.

[gatorback]

How much money do the tax payers pay to support JTA?  Does anybody got a number?  Must be lowest in the nation with service like this, or is it highest in the nation with this "great" service?

[gatorback]

You can take a bus down Univ. then back up, like a big U turn and use up 2 more fares.  Gezz.

[stephElf]

L7, the route on www.jtafla.com

http://jtafla.com/services/lines/l7/l7.aspx

So If I am reading that correctly ... those are the stops right? There are 6?

I see phillips & university.. but no phillips & emerson ... I know for a fact there are 2 bus stops on emerson by the taco bell & mcdonalds (in between phillips and 95 - on emerson) ...

This stuff is just so non-user-friendly... seriously, after this, I feel bad for and am amazed by the people who actually NEED to ride the bus can freakin figure it out.  They must spend 4 hours of their day on the damn bus.

[Doctor_K]

I see phillips & university.. but no phillips & emerson ... I know for a fact there are 2 bus stops on emerson by the taco bell & mcdonalds (in between phillips and 95 - on emerson) ...

StephElf - I have/had a similar problem with the L9 route.  I used to live off of Touchton between Southside and Belfort, and there were no less than three signs for stops along that road.  However, there were no listed stops on the JTA site (as of a couple of months ago - wouldn't doubt that they're still not listed as part of the route-proper).  So, the fact that those two stops on Emerson you mentioned for the L7 route that aren't listed on the JTA site surprises me not in the least. 

I agree with the other posters that the JTA site is uber-wretched.  Can't JTA hire someone or some firm to do a better website?  The site they have now isn't even good enough to be derided as 'amateur'.

[Doctor_K]

The ways of the JTA are mysterious and epic.

Gate Parkway West has been open to through-traffic for quite some time now.  A lot of new residential development (mid-density, I might add) has sprouted up along that thoroughfare.  Definitely much more ridership potential along that stretch than any I've ever seen along Touchton, down which the L9 route now travels.  I won't hold my breath for those residents to get their own route or for L9 to shift south.

[Doctor_K]

http://www.jtafla.com/services/lines/l9/l9.aspx

<Slaps forehead>  D'OH!!

[Coolyfett]

Its weird posting my own name in the third person.

Starting tomorrow, (actually I got started Thursday last week) I will be going 30 days without a car, relying totally on JTA transit in order to move around the city.  I will also be exploring the routes and seeing where they go and what they do.

Already the start has been rocky, and its clear that no one has ever had a discussion with many of the busdrivers as to what constitutes a customer friendly approach.

Anyways, get ready for a month of reports, whining, bitching complaining and insight on how to get around JTA.

First.   Must make sense of this cobweb of wildly named bus routes.

They have an almost 0 correlation to any part of town that they go through.

Will begin with explanation tomorrow.

I don't believe you are really about to attempt this!!! Ill think you'll back in your car by the 12th.

[gatorback]

Steph: if you are riding JTA you will first want to invest in a good pair of walkers. And not having to be on time might be a good thing to work out with you boss, family friends and your church trust me.

[thebrokenforum]

Steph: if you are riding JTA you will first want to invest in a good pair of walkers. And not having to be on time might be a good thing to work out with you boss, family friends and your church trust me.

I agree with gator. I have yet to hear a single good thing about the buses or bus drivers. I used to work with college students who had to ride the bus here and many of them were often late or absent to classes. Their reason? Buses showing up late or not showing up at all. The buses constantly break down. The drivers are often rude or extremely uninformed. And as you guys have already pointed out, their website is a joke!

As far as the website goes...they have a survey...lol. And you can email the web admin though I'm not sure what good that'll do. JTA needs a complete overhaul. Oil is predicted to hit $170 a barrel by next year. IF that happens you're going to see a lot of very pissed off and frustrated people trying to make sense of their website and trying to do something as simple as get from point A to point B and having a horrible time doing it.

Peyton should have to ride the bus.

[BridgeTroll]

Steph: if you are riding JTA you will first want to invest in a good pair of walkers. And not having to be on time might be a good thing to work out with you boss, family friends and your church trust me.

Good point.  Most bosses can forgive an employee being late on occasion but very few will tolerate a pattern of tardiness which appears to be what people may be setting themselves up for when using the bus to get to work.  Mass transit MUST be reliable and consistantly on time for it to work.