Watch Out TriMet, Here Comes Google


From the NY Times, Google has its own transit service (registration required).

Interesting that here, the business community’s reaction to congestion is to ask for billions in public investment, while in the Bay Area, the reaction is to create a new employment perk.


16 responses to “Watch Out TriMet, Here Comes Google”

  1. i worked for visa a little bit during my stay in SF. they had the same deal. i would BART downtown, pick up a private shuttle bus and be driven south to the unmarked visa HQ.

    i think its a natural reaction to the extreme highway congestion they have in the south bay. if anyone wants to experience a more congested commute then the much lamented “I-5 to vancouver”, may i suggest a trip from downtown SF to san jose?

    anyway, my point is that i dont think the analogy works. the business community in SF sure as heck asks for all sorts of public subsidies. (how about that pelosi to lucas deal for all that presidio office space?) these shuttle services are an unrelated phenomena.

  2. That’s SWEET! I wonder how feasible it would be to form a cooperative and get all the companies in the area to sign on? This would be a great alternate to Tri-Met.

  3. At the end of the article is says that Intel beats out Google (1st to 3rd) for helping in the commutes.

    But very interesting and a nice program, to be sure. Those buses sure benefit from the HOV lanes (or am I wrong about this?) down in the Bay Area.

  4. HOV helps when you have it. my ride for the most part didnt have HOV.

    but obviously, its nicer to read a book then drive in traffic.

    not only that, as you can imagine as a private company, the drivers were.. um… well. first of all, they seemed to only keep the job for a few months. sometimes you had a good driver. a nice guy. who drove well. sometimes not. sometimes it got SCARY.

    in my experience, i would rather have a random trimet driver then a random private bus company driver any day!

  5. i wonder how feasible it would be to form a cooperative and get all the companies in the area to sign on? This would be a great alternate to Tri-Met.

    Why would it have to be an alternative to Tri-Met? It could go a long way to enhancing Tri-Met if various employers were to (a) pool their buses and (b) provide employees with Tri-Met passes to get to pick-up points at various transit centers.

  6. That is what I call a REAL solution.

    Now if we can only get our zoning organized appropriately again and remove the transit responsibility from the Government…

    …we’d be set. But everyone is scared of truly letting it go again… at least the majority are scared, some not even aware that we had MORE choice when it was privatized.

  7. “Why would it have to be an alternative to Tri-Met?”

    Because it would be, since it is a different entity that would work under a different premise. Such as operating express busses primarily, or providing point to point services instead of general public opinion political pull based services.

    …It would truly be an alternatice. If a “cooperative” would actually be able to afford or be able to maintain a steady service I’d be all up for it.

    …Then of course, Tri-met already gets a LOT OF help from Intel and other companies on the west side for worker pick up at stops. Literally it is another several thousand people a day picked up from MAX stops or delivered to.

    In addition to that, Intel and other corporations often pay large chunks of the transit bills. Such as the Red Line, which had massive parts of the bill paid for by private enterprise.

    …had to add that on.

  8. …whoops, one more comment.

    George… you have a skewed view of private vs. public sector drivers. Both are safe, depending on how you setup the structure.

    The Tri-met drivers are half x-tech workers and other such peoples. They drive because they find it interesting, fun, etc. They’re also “ensured” of forever being employed by the union.

    Bus drivers, especially public, in other parts of the country are by no means any better than private. The impetus is whether the operation is handled appropriately.

    Also, Tri-met drivers are paid exceptionally well considering what they do. Most people aren’t willing to pay high enough fares in this day and age to actually pay a driver a substantial rate (as Tri-met’s are) The income of a driver is inflated by the heavy subsidies they receive.

    So in all seriousness, because of public transit, private transit is at a SEVERE disadvantage to compete, thus the drivers usually get the shaft.

    Also most private enterprises that would provide transit based on the per person costs that Tri-met expends, would provide people with front door limo service. So really, your comparison might be true in a single instance, but please keep in mind the skewed nature in which the current transit environment of the United States operates.

  9. Um, I don’t think Google is going to come up here and start an open-to-the-public transit system. :) Though they have decided to compete on the transit trip-planning front.

    I’ve heard about the Google shuttle system, but didn’t realize how big has become. I’m wondering if one of the reasons for its success is the free Internet access. And let’s be thankful that Intel’s helping out our region.

  10. Also most private enterprises that would provide transit based on the per person costs that Tri-met expends, would provide people with front door limo service.
    Do you have a link to the data on that information, and is it divided between regular routes vs. Lift/ADA services?

  11. I used to ride the Nimbus Shuttle, which went from Beaverton TC to the Nimbus Avenue area, near Washington Square, during rush hour. It had several stops on Nimbus and Gemini.

    I quit riding it when I got laid off from my job in that area. Many other places in that area closed during that time frame ( 2003 ). I don’t think it runs anymore.

    It was organized by the Westside Transportation Alliance and operated by Raz. The drivers were mostly good, except the one who liked to run the light at Lombard and Canyon Road. It was free to all comers, and even picked up passengers at Hall and Nimbus, providing a happy surprize to a few riders not expecting express service from there to BTC.

  12. The Tri-met drivers are half x-tech workers and other such peoples. They drive because they find it interesting, fun, etc. They’re also “ensured” of forever being employed by the union.

    Starting pay is $12.34/hr, you need a CDL, you don’t get paid vacation for the first year and you have to work a split shift when you first start… It may indeed be interesting, but you expect people to give up $60k/year for that?

    I’m going to sound like Lenny, (in fact, why hasn’t he posted this yet?) but Swan Island TMA operates a private bus to connect Swan Island to Rose Quarter after the 85 shuts down for the evening. (Why they don’t contract with Tri-Met to just continue the 85 into the evening is an interesting question.) Private shuttles aren’t exactly new, what is impressive about Google’s is the size/range of their operation…

  13. Um, isn’t this what Portland Community College, OHSU, the BPA, and the Veterans Administration already do today (between the campuses or between Portland and Vancouver? Of course it’d be nice if OHSU took over the operation of the 60X express busses…

    Boeing does a similar thing in Seattle but they partner with Metro. I believe there are some federal rules that make it very tricky for a public transit agency to get involved in such a service (i.e. private coach companies must be disinterested or unwilling to provide the service).

  14. Um, isn’t this what Portland Community College, OHSU, the BPA, and the Veterans Administration already do today (between the campuses or between Portland and Vancouver? Of course it’d be nice if OHSU took over the operation of the 60X express busses…

    Boeing does a similar thing in Seattle but they partner with Metro. I believe there are some federal rules that make it very tricky for a public transit agency to get involved in such a service (i.e. private coach companies must be disinterested or unwilling to provide the service).

  15. Yes, the Swan Island TMA has managed the Evening Shuttle for 7 years now. Its operated by RAZ, funded with federal Job Access grants via TriMet. Last year it had over 16K riders or about 65 per night. I’m talking to TriMet to just extending the 85 hours, but private operators are much cheaper than regular TriMet due to labor costs.
    Between 1998 and 2002 the TMA contracted with C-Tran to run transit service to Swan Island, funded with bus pass sales underwritten by major employers. The Dot.com bust killed it.
    TriMet has a vanpool shuttle program…I think Norm Thompson runs one…which partners with Flexcar for a minivan to get folks from MAX to the worksite. Employers have use of the van during the day; Flexcar members have access on evenings and weekends at MAX stations.
    Metro has a vanpool program…we run 4 to Swan Island from Clark county…that covers up to 1/2 the cost of vans. Employers can, but rarely do help out with these costs. We have empty seats at $75 per.
    With plenty of free parking and relatively short commutes, Portland’s employees just do not have the transportation problems of most regions, so most employers are OK to let their employees get to work however they can.
    I think the “transportation crisis” is totally overblown in this neck of the woods. The “Roadheads” are just angling for a tax increase for more of what we know does not work.

  16. we run 4 to Swan Island from Clark county… We have empty seats at $75 per.
    IMO, arrange to have the webpage updated:
    swanislandtma.org/pages/rideshare.htm
    (it says there’s 5 and it’s $60/mo.), then promote the heck out of them! Full vans in no time!
    (Unless there’s something against it, you might even get someone that’ll ask if it’s OK to use it with Rose Quarter TC as a drop-off point, where they can ride any TriMet bus or train into downtown.)

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