We Kicked ASS Last Night!

...Last nights Town Meeting was the first step in making changes. Thanks go to Kara & Dorothy for speaking for all the "Sweet 16's" - Remember: Power in Numbers...The below article is in Today's Advance. I feel I am making a change...

X16Not So Sweet for Express Bus Riders

by Staten Island Advance
Wednesday October 17, 2007, 12:42 AM

Staten Island AdvanceX16 passengers say they want better service to and from Lower Manhattan.
The "Sweet 16s" have gone sour on X16 express bus service.
The group of disgruntled riders fumed about late and no-show buses, dirty and poorly maintained buses, and service cuts during a Community Board 1 area committee meeting last night in the Silver Lake Tennis House.
They presented a petition with more than 145 signatures protesting the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's decision to scale back service on the Forest Avenue/Clove Road/Victory Boulevard to Lower Manhattan line due to sagging ridership, and called on the agency to increase express bus service on the North Shore.
Passengers said the sagging numbers aren't due to a lack of interest in the route, but rather exasperation with the poor reliability that has forced many riders to seek alternate ways to get to and from work. And, they said, the 5:25 p.m. trip, cut back in April, was one of the most convenient for office workers whose shifts end at 5.

They also said the decision to cut service may have resulted from a previous ridership survey that had been conducted the day after a holiday, when some people were still off from work, resulting in an inaccurately low number.
During the most recent survey, about 300 passengers were counted on the X16 during the eight morning trips into Manhattan, and about 180 passengers for the five Island-bound afternoon trips.
"You claim ridership is down on the X16, but some are traveling through New Jersey to get to work now because we cannot rely on the X16," rider Kara Buzga said. "If you provide reliable, safe, on-time service, we will use it and you will actually make money," she said.
Kevin Hunt, a representative of City Councilman Michael McMahon, said his office has fielded numerous complaints, including that former X16 riders now drive to Victory Boulevard to catch the more reliable X12.
Dorothy Towstik said the unpredictable bus schedule is threatening the livelihoods of riders who rely on the service to get to their jobs on time.
MTA officials acknowledged that it has been difficult to keep buses on schedule lately, especially with heavy traffic related to construction work, but pledged to work on making the X16 more reliable.
The line will be monitored at the depot and on the road, to make sure buses are arriving at stops on-time, said Steve Vecchione, assistant general manager of road operations on Staten Island.
Melissa Farley, government and community liaison for the MTA, said improvements are on the horizon, including bus-board global positioning technology, which will be tested at Staten Island depots next, after an initial test in Manhattan. The system will help dispatchers better keep track of which buses are where along the route.
"There is no doubt reliability of buses has diminished over the years," Vecchione said. "We're not denying it, and we're taking steps to make it better."