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I fully expect to see this dismissed as a stunt that abuses public transit and hurts the poor sometime in the next hour.

• k-mcgrady 12y ago
  Of course it's a stunt. Google gets some good publicity and if people make use of it it will be harder to bash them. It's good for the people but it's still a stunt - Google doesn't just give out buses for no reason :) Nobody does.
  • dguaraglia 12y ago
    Also, let's face it, "the people" in this case are most probably employees of other tech companies in the area. It's not like this is going to improve the life of the average, non-SV-employed, citizen.
    • jpatokal 12y ago
      I take it you're not very familiar with Mountain View's geography. Google and the vast majority of other SV companies there are to the north of the 101, which is already well served by existing shuttles, and where the bus (rightly) only barely ventures. Most of the route connects shopping centres, the Caltrain station, the hospital etc, which is very useful for eg. senior citizens who can't drive.
      • dguaraglia 12y ago
        Thanks for the clarification. I've only used the Google shuttle going from Caltrain to Charleston/Googleplex, and only on occasion (I work mostly from a different Google office so I go to MTV rarely.)
• sbilstein 12y ago
  The reason I'm personally excited by this is because SV corporations often seem to wash their hands about any significant civic output (other than occasional donations to non-profits) because it should be the responsibility of the government. In the world we inhabit, where companies in some ways can exert much greater power locally (in some specific ways) than a local government can, they should step up and use some of that power to help the general good. Companies like Google can at the drop of hat move tens of thousands of works into a municipality; if they're choosing to exercise that right they should think about other ways they can make that change responsibly.
  • Kalium 12y ago
    Personally, I view this as symptomatic of the NIMBY-ism that pervades SV and SF. Both want all the money that comes from tech and can be relied upon to want the people to go somewhere else. That a company has to pick up the "civic output" slack says a great deal about the failings of Mountain View and its voters.
  • pyrocat 12y ago
    I, for one, welcome our new feudal corporate overlords. But seriously, it's great that Google is doing this. I just wish they didn't have to.
  • brandonmenc 12y ago
    > corporations often seem to wash their hands about any significant civic output because it should be the responsibility of the government Public transit is the responsibility of the government. If you want these companies to contribute more, raise taxes.
    • sp332 12y ago
      Raising taxes is inefficient and indirect. By providing buses, Google (et al.) can quickly address a need in the community. And they don't need to use other people's money to do it.
      • username223 12y ago
        > Google (et al.) can quickly address a need in the community. And therein lies the problem. Who are "et al." and "the community"? How much does each of them pay? Where do the buses go? Who's allowed to use them, and how do you keep people who aren't from doing so anyways? It's almost like you need to create a decision-making body with the ability to raise and spend money, and make and enforce rules. An Alþing? Folkmoot? I'm sure we have a word for this.
        • sp332 12y ago
          The buses are already regulated by the city. The city doesn't need to own them.