7.01.2008

a trip on the #10

Our journey on the Big Blue Bus started at Union Station in downtown LA.  We hopped onto the #10 bus and relaxed, knowing we could sit-back and soon end up in at the ocean in Santa Monica.  The bus had barely traveled on block before we were approached by a fellow rider who was interested if we were tourists.  Evidently this route is often used by people vacationing in LA.  
 
We quickly began to chat.  I had no idea how many great restaurants were along the 10 route in downtown!  Our new friend showed us where to get the best sushi, which places are open late and where to go for happy hour.  Other riders began talking to us and pretty soon I realized I was actually enjoying the bus ride!

The trip was fast and the destination is beautiful.  I had enjoyed the conversation and the sights from the window so much I forgot I was there to do research.  Clearly our challenge is how to make a great bus system even better.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great pictures of your bus trip to Union Station. I could not help to notice that your 3rd picture was a Rapid bus and Pico and Lincoln was in the background. How was your trip on the Rapid 3?

Mike Peterson said...

Surprisingly rapid! I'm new to bus riding in Santa Monica and didn't realize how close everything was. Or maybe it only seems close because I wasn't the one driving. We rode down to LAX, but after deciding Santa Monica is much prettier, we went back. I wonder, what else is there to do around LAX besides fly on airplanes?

Anonymous said...

The bus of the future should look like a monorail or naglev elevated line so as to not snarl traffic and to be enviornmentally green

Anonymous said...

The # 10 is the best way to go downtown on account of traffic and parking. I enjoy the commute and am not stressed out trying to find a parking place.

Anonymous said...

The "rapid 3" generally isn't.

In three years riding the "unrapid" 3 on a weekly basis, I've never been passed by a "rapid" on the way to LAX.

Sure, it makes up a few minutes on Lincoln past Manchester, but you have to wait for this "faster" coach to show up at its designated stop to begin with.

Its a crock.

Get us a dedicated full-time bus lane from Pico to Washington, and then we'll talk about "rapid".

Until then, its just clever marketing and a colossal waste of funds.