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Blame the geeks
Software not ready for Rapid 215
Nonworking VMS on Park Boulevard
While the limited-stop Rapid 215 bus route has been operating since October 12 (it was scheduled to begin service August 31), it's a different story with the electronic sign technology called Variable-Message Signs. There are printed schedules posted at each new stylish station, but what's with the nonworking digital signs?
MTS Rapid 215 bus at Park Boulevard and University Avenue
I asked Metropolitan Transit System public relations director Rob Schupp, but he passed the buck to SANDAG (San Diego Association of Governments), since he said that organization is “working to get all signs functional.” SANDAG built the new 215 line, in collaboration with the transit system. The budget was reported at $44 million, including the new buses. Schupp also said the transit system is “anxious to get the signs up and working.”
Helen Gao, associate public information officer at SANDAG, had to get specifics from the project manager. Gao explained on December 12 that the signs themselves are OK. “The issue is related to the software, which is a separate purchase and which has to be installed separately,” she said. “We resolved the issue this week, and we expect the signs to be up and running in January.
There are 18 signs on that route. Testing has been ongoing at the Park Boulevard and University Avenue station, Gao told me. That test work “has gone well,” she said. “The signs are at the top of our punch list as we work to close out the project.”
I asked for the breakdown on costs for the electronic signs and the software. “We purchased a total of 20 signs, including two spares, for the Mid-City Rapid project,” Gao said. “The total cost of the physical signs is approximately $207,000. The cost of the software for the signs is approximately $67,000.”
Rapid 215 runs between Santa Fe Station and SDSU, seven days a week from 5 a.m. to 1 a.m. It offers 10-minute service during weekday rush hours, and 15-minute service during non-rush hours/weekends.
Here's something you might be interested in.
Blame the geeks
Software not ready for Rapid 215
Blame the geeks
Software not ready for Rapid 215
Nonworking VMS on Park Boulevard
While the limited-stop Rapid 215 bus route has been operating since October 12 (it was scheduled to begin service August 31), it's a different story with the electronic sign technology called Variable-Message Signs. There are printed schedules posted at each new stylish station, but what's with the nonworking digital signs?
MTS Rapid 215 bus at Park Boulevard and University Avenue
I asked Metropolitan Transit System public relations director Rob Schupp, but he passed the buck to SANDAG (San Diego Association of Governments), since he said that organization is “working to get all signs functional.” SANDAG built the new 215 line, in collaboration with the transit system. The budget was reported at $44 million, including the new buses. Schupp also said the transit system is “anxious to get the signs up and working.”
Helen Gao, associate public information officer at SANDAG, had to get specifics from the project manager. Gao explained on December 12 that the signs themselves are OK. “The issue is related to the software, which is a separate purchase and which has to be installed separately,” she said. “We resolved the issue this week, and we expect the signs to be up and running in January.
There are 18 signs on that route. Testing has been ongoing at the Park Boulevard and University Avenue station, Gao told me. That test work “has gone well,” she said. “The signs are at the top of our punch list as we work to close out the project.”
I asked for the breakdown on costs for the electronic signs and the software. “We purchased a total of 20 signs, including two spares, for the Mid-City Rapid project,” Gao said. “The total cost of the physical signs is approximately $207,000. The cost of the software for the signs is approximately $67,000.”
Rapid 215 runs between Santa Fe Station and SDSU, seven days a week from 5 a.m. to 1 a.m. It offers 10-minute service during weekday rush hours, and 15-minute service during non-rush hours/weekends.
Comments
I would like to see some ridership figures, most of the rapid buses that I see are empty or nearly empty.
City bus systems are taxpayer subsidized and NEVER pay for themselves they do, however, offer the bus industry a continuing order for new busses and high tech gadgets. The pay for administrators and political hack jobs is high while the people who actually do the work (drivers and mechanics) are low pay with low benefits and many qualify for welfare benefits.
You are correct about the high salaries. CEO Paul Jablonski's total pay and benefits = $500,000. That's outrageous. See the rest here: http://transparentcalifornia.com/salaries/san-diego-metropolitan-transit-system/
I rode the 215 today at 4 p.m. It had mostly empty seats in North Park. But perhaps in a.m./p.m. rush hours it gets filled up. The 7 and 10 often do.
Dennis, when I ride the 235 during rush hour, it's full. Ridership has been at or above expectations:
"Williamson reported that ridership on the SuperLoop has surpassed expectations, while the newer Rapid 215 line last week showed 6,600 daily weekday boardings after just two months of operations compared to the range of 7,000-9,000 boardings projected for it after a full year. On the Rapid 235 route, projected for 3,000-5,000 weekday boardings after a year of operation, MTS achieved an average of 4,900 daily weekday riders last week."
http://www.sddt.com/news/article.cfm?SourceCode=20141219czg&_t=SANDAG+approves+funding+for+WiFi+pilot+project+on+Rapid+bus+lines#.VJoHW14AA
I clicked on the link but couldn't read it. It says: "TO CONTINUE READING, SUBSCRIBE NOW."
This project was definitely a white elephant for the city and I'm a strong believer in mass transit. It would seem our city council was hoodwinked once again.
The salaries plus the total compensation packages for the top 20 employees does seem high. I wonder how they compare with other similar sized cities. I wonder if ridership numbers and overall service levels (rider surveys) are weighed when salaries are negotiated?
I reported about the excessive salary + benefits for Jablonski back in 2012. http://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/20... The MTS board tried to sneak in a pay increase for the CEO at a closed meeting. Jablonski already had a total compensation of $409,000. And the board wanted to increase it to $429,000. But it was stopped at that time.
So, $44 Million to shave eight minutes off the ride from SDSU to Downtown while regular buses still clog the now narrowed streets on the route. Can you say boondoggle?
Yes, the word "Rapid" is not accurate for the 215. It's a marketing term and fails to reflect reality. Maybe "Rapid" means the 215 buses come by more often, so there's less wait time.
Initially the rapid bus was supposed to have its own dedicated lane on El Cajon Boulevard. This was killed by ECB business owners who put their private claim to public on-street parking (and objections to "bus people") over rapid public transit. Now folks like yourself complain about wasting money. If you want to blame someone, blame the business owners, not rapid transit. http://voiceofsandiego.org/2014/04/17/new-bus-line-distinction-under-rapid-fire/
So $44 million for bus rapid transit is a boondoggle, but $1 billion for widening I-405 in LA for longer(!) travel times is money well spent? http://www.vox.com/2014/10/23/6994159/traffic-roads-induced-demand
The term "bus people" is snobbish and insulting from those folks. The whole reason for public transit's growth is to offer this service to all people, not just people who don't own a car (like me). In Europe, rich people ride the bus and light rail!
That's because Europe thought ahead and designed it so you can actually get from where you are to where you need to go. San Diego's system is a joke and I don't see it improving any time soon. I can NOT get where I need to go without a car.
What neighborhood are you starting from, and what's your usual destination area? One does have to transfer in many cases.
I'd have to add that this scheme made a total mess of Park Blvd heading southbound where the lanes zig-zag for several blocks to accommodate the middle-of-the-street boarding platforms. Things like this are supposed to make the situation better, not worse. In San Diego, nobody in charge seems to know the difference.
Yes, but aren't those new moderne bus shelters snazzy? ;-)
I still can't understand why the Variable-Message Sign (VMS) system has a software problem, since VMS is not new technology. Shouldn't the software be perfected and made efficient by now? Can any IT expert or programmer explain this? I was told each sign had to be programmed separately. Is the SANDAG excuse acceptable (after spending $44 million)?