NextStop Blog

Karen says:

OMFG!!!! What on earth were you people smoking? Revamp the only feature that was useful to this what ever this website is. How much did these changes cost us the TAXPAYER and RIDERS, i.e. YOUR EMPLOYERS!! First you all try this emotional black mail and shut services off because taxpayers said no, then gradually let some of the services back because special funding comes from some magic governement (state or federal).

Do you realize how really user unfriendly public transportation in St. Louis is? Every aspect is bad. First we have busses that don’t announce stops unless a person requests. Next we have the limited fares (other cities, you can buy an all day any direction pass) that have to be ‘stamped’ or a fine is assessed. (Duh if one is in possesion of a ticket, one has already paid the fair.)

Then we have the issue of stolen state property–really don’t know why everyone just rolls over on this! There are 2 stations on the campus of UMSL. Part of the original agreement was for students to get free access to bus/link service in exchange for the buses coming on and through campus as well as the link stops. Tax breaks are given, property is not maintained (heavy busses do cause road damage) by Metro/bistate or whatever ya’ll calling yourselves today, but rather they are maintained by the university , again at the taxpayer’s expense.

We have long known Bi-State/Metrolink to be corrupt…taking kickbacks n what not from lord knows where! (How much are you ‘paying’ google to farm out the service????)

Let’s think back to the 80s when so called top secret documents were destroyed…office papers were picked up for destruction. While being loaded, an offical had to watch the truck/driver and then follow that truck back to the shredding site. That offical had to stay and watch while papers were shredded (we are talking giant industrial shredders, nothing that would fit in an office).

Just what sort of documents would need to be shredded–personnell records might make sense, but considering these so called proprietary documents were placed in special containers (giant blue trashcan like bins with no lid). There would also not be nearly 1 ton (literally) of papers every month (sometimes 2ce a month). Also doesn’t make sense, escpecially when considering other documents handled at the facility were from sensitive places such as the federal or local governments, local universities, and banks. (And yes some of those did have special handling requirements on how the documents were mill baled or shredded and how shredded materials could be recycled or to whom it could be reclcyled to.

For example, federal governement documents could be mill baled but not mixed with any other industrial paperwork. (Mill baling is sorting paper by type and then sending the bales of paper to the appropriate mill facility to wash it down and make new paper products.) Once baled, it had to be stored in a double sealed truck trailer. There’s more to it, but I think you get the point–why would Bi-state/Metro need such high security on thier shredded documents!?!? Seems like several years ago, there was some sort of scandal regarding the higher ups at this organization and how they were being personally funded…I can’t remember all the details, so won’t get into that.

I guess the point I want to make is where is the accountability to your employers both the user and the taxpayer? How do we justify farming out services to google–who doesn’t contribute back to our community. The whole cycle of things–users and taxpayers support the system. In turn, the system puts money into the community–St. Louis metro area by employing people who also pay taxes.

We need to get it right–you should really hear what people say about our transportation–they are laughing at us!! People from as close as Chicago or KC and as far as France.

Martine says:

I know you are trying to improve the new look of the website, but it is not working well for the people which depend on it. This is the second time the site has caused more confusion than help. I am not able to check the bus schedule. Also when I referred to the plan your trip area, the suggestion, via google, was for me to walk a half mile to the metrolink station than take the bus I need that stops right in front of my house. I fear something is not right with that conclusion.