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It’s a decaying service that even a “stubborn transit user”[0] does not want. Propping up this zombie is actively harmful. [0]: https://news.ycombinator.com/it

by gbacon 3y ago

It’s a decaying service that even a “stubborn transit user”[0] does not want. Propping up this zombie is actively harmful. [0]: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38686993 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38686993

toomuchtodo 3y ago
Two questions: How do we continue to serve a transportation consumer population that can only afford bus tickets? If we decide to continue to serve this population, how do we do it in a manner consistent with developed world standards? If the zombie must die to be reborn, reasonable. But to double tap it in the head and these people go without long haul transportation seems untenable. And high speed rail isn’t getting built any sooner than a decade from now. In the meantime, those not of means need long haul transportation to be solved for.
- alephnerd 3y ago
  > How do we continue to serve a transportation consumer population that can only afford bus tickets? Where there's demand, there will be some service to substitute. In college and early in my career, I was too cheap to buy a flight ticket to NYC and too disorganized to book an Amtrak ahead of time, so I'd use the Vietnamese and Chinatown buses. Banh Mi was included. Most Little Saigons and Chinatowns are connected to each other by ethnic community run bus companies. They're a fraction of the price of a Greyhound and much cleaner. Low Income Latino and (back in Canada) Punjabi communities also have similar businesses running.
  - yardie 3y ago
    If you're talking about the Fung Wa it has been out of service for a few years. Maybe there is an even smaller operator running under the radar.
    - alephnerd 3y ago
      There are multiple operators, not just Fung Wa.
  - xg15 3y ago
    So an intractable maze of tiny, locally run transport services (all separate and disconnected of course) along with a huge portion of hope that someone will build something. I don't know, but I wouldn't want to plan a trip, let alone a commute in that kind of environment.
    - alephnerd 3y ago
      They're pretty well known if you're in the community and have been operating since before I was born.
  - lmm 3y ago
    [flagged]
deleted 3y ago
[deleted]

by gbacon 3y ago

toomuchtodo 3y ago

Two questions: How do we continue to serve a transportation consumer population that can only afford bus tickets? If we decide to continue to serve this population, how do we do it in a manner consistent with developed world standards? If the zombie must die to be reborn, reasonable. But to double tap it in the head and these people go without long haul transportation seems untenable. And high speed rail isn’t getting built any sooner than a decade from now. In the meantime, those not of means need long haul transportation to be solved for.

alephnerd 3y ago
> How do we continue to serve a transportation consumer population that can only afford bus tickets? Where there's demand, there will be some service to substitute. In college and early in my career, I was too cheap to buy a flight ticket to NYC and too disorganized to book an Amtrak ahead of time, so I'd use the Vietnamese and Chinatown buses. Banh Mi was included. Most Little Saigons and Chinatowns are connected to each other by ethnic community run bus companies. They're a fraction of the price of a Greyhound and much cleaner. Low Income Latino and (back in Canada) Punjabi communities also have similar businesses running.
- yardie 3y ago
  If you're talking about the Fung Wa it has been out of service for a few years. Maybe there is an even smaller operator running under the radar.
  - alephnerd 3y ago
    There are multiple operators, not just Fung Wa.
- xg15 3y ago
  So an intractable maze of tiny, locally run transport services (all separate and disconnected of course) along with a huge portion of hope that someone will build something. I don't know, but I wouldn't want to plan a trip, let alone a commute in that kind of environment.
  - alephnerd 3y ago
    They're pretty well known if you're in the community and have been operating since before I was born.
- lmm 3y ago
  [flagged]

deleted 3y ago

[deleted]