4 ms·

I used Chariot to get to work in SOMA from the Marina since they launched (now I live in NYC). The problem they're talking about is no joke. If they didn't exis

I used Chariot to get to work in SOMA from the Marina since they launched (now I live in NYC). The problem they're talking about is no joke. If they didn't exist, I'd have to walk 10 blocks to get to an earlier stop on my line. Alternatively, I'd walk 10min up a hill to get on a bus that took 45min to get to my office, which was less than 3miles away from my apartment. When not using Chariot, I ended up biking to work (about 30min) out of pure necessity. There's unnecessary efficiency in the bus routes. Chariot's advantage for the Marina to SOMA route is that the majority of people riding that bus route are heading to SOMA, but the bus makes a lot of windy stops in China Town. There should really be two lines, one that exclusively serves China Town from the Marina, and one that exclusively serves SOMA. During rush hour, Chariot adjusts its route based on traffic sometimes saving 10-20min a roundtrip. It has the flexibility to do so since it bypasses China Town.

chrisseaton 11y ago
> I'd walk 10min up a hill to get on a bus that took 45min to get to my office Why not just walk the 3 miles directly? It would take less than 55 mins for sure.
- __john 11y ago
  Google tells me the average human walks 3.1 miles per hour. So I'm guessing it would take at least 55 minutes, no less.
- mrdrozdov 11y ago
  Google Maps indicates an hour walk. MapMyWalk show a 186 elevation gain, which I suppose is not too terrible considering it gradually increases until about the halfway point, and then gradually decreases. Add a laptop and hefty book into the mix, and you've got yourself an equation for one sweaty commuter. I've also used Scoot which gets me to work a little faster than Chariot, but depends on there being scooters available and is more of a commitment than Chariot given Scoot's subscription (Scoot is awesome though!). Quite a few of my coworkers gave up on any sort of shared transit, and drive to work pretty regularly. As a comparison, it took me a little over an hour to get to work using the CalTrain when I lived in Palo Alto and had a 35mile commute. Another example would be going from Chelsea to the Lower East Side in NYC (about the same distance as Marina to SOMA). Takes between 25-30min using the subway on Google Maps. https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Chelsea,+New+York,+NY/Lower+East+Side,+New+York,+NY/@40.730113,-74.0109428,14z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0x89c259b082b8c8a7:0x2e54eb9ab02636f0!2m2!1d-74.0013737!2d40.7465004!1m5!1m1!1s0x89c2598015ac8beb:0x59b849fea56b6a70!2m2!1d-73.9842724!2d40.715033!3e3 https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Chelsea,+New+York,+NY/Lower+... The Marina to SOMA takes closer to 40min, but that's assuming you can get on the bus, which during rush hour is surprisingly difficult (like the article refers, you might wait 3-5 buses to find one with space). https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Marina+District,+San+Francisco,+CA/SoMa,+San+Francisco,+CA/@37.7922442,-122.4392007,14z/data=!3m2!4b1!5s0x89c2fa533fc767a3:0x663c92cc7cdbfe36!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0x808580d79ae5a51b:0x3c50fe8f3930832!2m2!1d-122.4368151!2d37.8036667!1m5!1m1!1s0x80858083a662307b:0xfd99010c2dc1f950!2m2!1d-122.4056395!2d37.7785189!3e3 https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Marina+District,+San+Francis...
  - aaronbrethorst 11y ago
    Cheaper than paying for the gym.

chrisseaton 11y ago

> I'd walk 10min up a hill to get on a bus that took 45min to get to my office Why not just walk the 3 miles directly? It would take less than 55 mins for sure.

__john 11y ago
Google tells me the average human walks 3.1 miles per hour. So I'm guessing it would take at least 55 minutes, no less.
mrdrozdov 11y ago
Google Maps indicates an hour walk. MapMyWalk show a 186 elevation gain, which I suppose is not too terrible considering it gradually increases until about the halfway point, and then gradually decreases. Add a laptop and hefty book into the mix, and you've got yourself an equation for one sweaty commuter. I've also used Scoot which gets me to work a little faster than Chariot, but depends on there being scooters available and is more of a commitment than Chariot given Scoot's subscription (Scoot is awesome though!). Quite a few of my coworkers gave up on any sort of shared transit, and drive to work pretty regularly. As a comparison, it took me a little over an hour to get to work using the CalTrain when I lived in Palo Alto and had a 35mile commute. Another example would be going from Chelsea to the Lower East Side in NYC (about the same distance as Marina to SOMA). Takes between 25-30min using the subway on Google Maps. https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Chelsea,+New+York,+NY/Lower+East+Side,+New+York,+NY/@40.730113,-74.0109428,14z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0x89c259b082b8c8a7:0x2e54eb9ab02636f0!2m2!1d-74.0013737!2d40.7465004!1m5!1m1!1s0x89c2598015ac8beb:0x59b849fea56b6a70!2m2!1d-73.9842724!2d40.715033!3e3 https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Chelsea,+New+York,+NY/Lower+... The Marina to SOMA takes closer to 40min, but that's assuming you can get on the bus, which during rush hour is surprisingly difficult (like the article refers, you might wait 3-5 buses to find one with space). https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Marina+District,+San+Francisco,+CA/SoMa,+San+Francisco,+CA/@37.7922442,-122.4392007,14z/data=!3m2!4b1!5s0x89c2fa533fc767a3:0x663c92cc7cdbfe36!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0x808580d79ae5a51b:0x3c50fe8f3930832!2m2!1d-122.4368151!2d37.8036667!1m5!1m1!1s0x80858083a662307b:0xfd99010c2dc1f950!2m2!1d-122.4056395!2d37.7785189!3e3 https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Marina+District,+San+Francis...
- aaronbrethorst 11y ago
  Cheaper than paying for the gym.