7 - Testing the Hypothesis, Part 1

Opportunity: Bus-only lanes in Gainesville, FL

-       The Who: Residents and students in Gainesville that rely on buses for transportation

-       The What: The current bus system is unreliable and ineffective.

-       The Why: Late and infrequent buses have forced people to look for other modes of transportation, such as scooters and ride services like Lyft and Uber.

Testing the Who: The people most affected by the lack of resources given to public transportations are mainly residents and students that rely on buses to get around. Many don’t have another option due to financial constraints. However, a quicker and more efficient bus system will attract many others to use the buses in place of individual cars and scooters, which will reduce Gainesville’s carbon footprint. This issue extends to other dense cities, particularly in the United States, where officials keep building more roads for cars and are not investing in an efficient public transportation system. Less traffic will also be beneficial to drivers by making the road safer.

Testing the What: Bus riders frequently complain about buses being late and taking too long. However, many people just prefer private transportation because they have the flexibility to go anywhere they want. In addition, public transit in Gainesville favors UF students by having more buses and routes and enforcing laws that limits cars on campus, so it’s more reliable. The issue is more prevalent among off campus students and residents.

Testing the Why: As the population of Gainesville grows, so does the traffic. Many students own cars or scooters, and they prefer to drive because it’s faster and more reliable. Others call ride services. However, this opportunity is for those that can’t afford a private vehicle or don’t have credit cards, which is required to make an Uber account. Private bus lanes, or peak-time bus lanes, will reduce traffic so that buses are more punctual for those that rely on it to get around. In addition, more people will choose to ride the bus as their most common form of transportation, reducing their carbon footprint and reducing much of the urban space dedicated for cars.

Interview #1: The first person I interviewed was a middle-aged resident who primarily used her car to get around. The inconsistency of the bus routes didn’t really affect her. However, she supports a lane just for buses because she agrees that it will reduce traffic during peak times and will be better for the environment.  

Interview #2: The second person I interviewed was a UF student in her early twenties who owns a car and lives off campus. She alternatives between different types of transportation depending on when and where she is trying to go. To go to campus and her classes, she rides the bus or calls a rides service; “If I’m running short on time, I don’t trust the bus because they are usually late and sometimes the app messes up and shows a bus that’s not coming.” There are many people like her that are willing to change their transportation method for the best option.

Interview #3: The next person I interviewed was a UF student that doesn’t own a car and mainly relies on the bus to get around. She rides the bus in the mornings, afternoons, and nights. Her biggest issue is that there aren’t many buses at nights and during the weekend. For someone who live off campus like her, it’s really hard to run errands or go have fun on the weekends because of the inconsistent buses. She feels unsafe waiting for buses at night and it can take over half an hour.

Interview #4: The fourth person I interviewed is a Santa Fe student. He sometimes takes the bus, but his preferred method of transportation is biking. His biggest issue with the buses is the lack of safety when the bus stops. He has noticed many cars dangerously going around buses and a bus-only lane would definitely reduce that concern.

Interview #5: The last person I interviewed was a bus driver. She feels overworked because of the lack of bus drivers. She chuckled when I told her about the opportunity to have a bus-only lane. She says that it would be amazing, but she can’t imagine it happening. According to her, many bus drivers leave because they don’t get the raises they’ve earned, so there are less drivers and they have to cut routes. From her perspective, the city is not working with RTS employees to improve labor conditions.

Reflection: The interviews have given me several points that I did not foresee with this opportunity. Everyone I interviewed liked the opportunity and believed that, if it could be implemented, would have great benefits to residents and the community. It’s great to hear that many people support minimizing their carbon footprint by utilizing public transportation more. In addition, I now know a lot more from a bus driver’s perspective. They are dealing with a shortage of employees, so cutting routes is an unfortunate necessity. This issue needs to be addressed in order for the opportunity to come to fruition. Better road conditions for buses would certainly make the job more favorable.