Thursday, July 27, 2006
Editorial: Get on the bus and ride a cultural shift
The Smart Way Bus' ridership uptick is good news for the region and a symbol of economic cooperation
From the RoundTable blog
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For Ken Kesey and his Merry Pranksters in the 1960s, you were either on the bus or off the bus.
The region's Smart Way Bus does not ferry revolutionary nonconformity on the steep climb from Roanoke to Blacksburg. But, like Kesey's motor coach, the Smart Way Bus can help grind out a cultural shift.
Want a tangible example of regional economic cooperation? Get on the bus.
News this week about increased ridership for the Smart Way Bus is heartening. And these recent days, beset by blood-soaked international news and record heat waves, need a dose of good news -- even if the upbeat news is measured. During the past year, enough people have climbed on the bus to keep it on the road, shuttling passengers to and from the Roanoke and New River valleys and serving points between.
Average daily ridership has increased from 76 passengers in the bus' first fiscal year to 116 for the fiscal year just ended. That's a merry uptick.
But it could be merrier. The 29-seat bus makes 13 round-trip runs each weekday and 10 runs on Saturdays. That's 26 trips on weekdays and 20 trips on Saturdays. Spread 116 riders among all those passenger trips and you'll tally a host of empty seats. In other words, on many trips, riders have ample space for laptops and suitcases.
Absent continued federal and state funding, the Smart Way Bus faces a bumpy ride toward paying its way.
But, outside the realm of bean-counting, the bus provides a symbol of regional economic cooperation and one sample of how public transportation might serve residents of the Roanoke and New River valleys.
Other examples exist of regional cooperation between the two valleys. But, overall, the New River Valley response to entreaties from the Roanoke Valley for more cooperation has been ho-hum. It's true that Roanoke's pushes for cooperation have sometimes seemed self-serving. Many business leaders rightly favor true cooperation.
It's time to get on the bus.
