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FREDericksburg Regional Transit routes to change in Fredericksburg Date published: 9/19/2008
By KELLY HANNON Shifting demand for bus service has led FREDericksburg Regional Transit to create two new city bus routes, and make small changes to existing ones. Starting next month, FRED will launch a downtown loop that will circulate hourly to popular city destinations. Also, a new Virginia Railway Express feeder service will collect passengers in Cowan Boulevard neighborhoods and along Princess Anne Street. "We hadn't changed the city routes basically from the day FRED started," said Arnold Levine, FRED manager of policy, planning and compliance. FRED launched in 1996 with four Fredericksburg routes. Now, FRED has reorganized bus schedules to increase the number of routes with hourly service. The changes, which start Oct. 6, should result in better and more frequent service, Levine said. "We hope our riders will agree once they get familiar with the changes," he said. But service will decline on one route--VRE feeder buses to and from the Idlewild subdivision. FRED will take one bus that was serving VRE passengers in Idlewild and move it to create the Cowan Boulevard/Princess Anne Street VRE route. The Idlewild route was started with a three-year state and federal grant, which was matched with $10,000 annually from the Villages of Idlewild, Levine said. The Idlewild route will continue for the next two years of the grant, and possibly longer. "We will continue to provide it, unless we make a determination it really is not a cost-effective operation," Levine said. FRED charges $1 each way for VRE feeder service, which is higher than the standard 25-cent fare. Riders can buy monthly and weekly passes to the VRE feeder service at a reduced rate. Here are the specific route changes: Route F2: This route will have hourly service. The second half of this route--from FRED Central to Cowan Boulevard to the University of Mary Washington to downtown Fredericksburg--will be moved to Route F5, the "Downtown Loop." The new F2 route will add a stop at Park & Shop's Giant store. The Townsend Square apartments stop will move to the intersection of U.S. 1 and Townsend Boulevard.
Date published: 9/19/2008
I think this Bus Service as it exists is a perfect metaphor for " you can put lipstick on a pig and it's still a pig".
Why don't someone actually take a look at the lack of efficiencies of this bus service and start over. It doesn't have service early enough to get workers to the main commercial areas of the city and doesn't offer services from the mall or central park when the businesses close.
If you make an efficient bus service people might actually ride this folly.
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