Empty Buses

I see that Hamilton City Council is deliberating on public transit issues as part of their budget discussions today.  And, it is no surprise that one Council member has raised the false issue of empty buses.  

Here is a little story I put together based on my experiences as a Councillor and transit advocate back two decades ago.  Clarovista is a fictional place.

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One thing I’ve learned in my short career in municipal politics is that municipal politicians know how to problem solve.  It is what they do.

And the elected officials at Clarovista City Hall are no exception.

Take the issue of public transit for example.

Public opinion is divided on transit in Clarovista.

Some people want it.  And others don’t.

Now the people who want it are mostly those that use it or would use it if the service was any good.
Those who don’t want it or don’t want much of it or don’t want it on their street mostly have garages and two or three cars in their driveways.

These people with cars and garages worry about buses a lot particularly the matter of empty buses.  And they let their Council members know.

Councillor Roger Harris is particularly responsive.  Few buses run through Councillor Harris’ ward. 
Those that do sure look empty to his constituents.

I’ve tried in public and in private conversations to explain empty buses to Harris. They happen routinely in the transit world, I say. They get empty when going in the opposite direction to rush hour peak flows and at the end of routes. Some times of day are less busy and some areas of the municipality have fewer riders.

Harris himself has not been on a bus since riding a yellow one to day camp back when Diefenbaker was Opposition leader and C.D Howe and the Liberal Party were arrogant and flogging pipelines.
Harris has ideas on how transit management can address the empty bus dilemma. Small buses are the way to go. They cost less and the optics would be better.  And, if the route ran every hour instead of every 20 minutes, we could save money.  Councillor Harris puts energy into the sketching out better routes for the buses.  Tricky stuff. 

Tonight, we receive the annual transit review.  It is the only area of our responsibilities that we review each year.

Questions of staff focus on efficiency, pros and cons of raising fares, decreasing support from the province.  Councillors have ideas in all of these areas.

But Councillor Harris’ brainwave stops the meeting.

“Why can’t the buses just go back to the garage when they are empty?”