Tweeting about buses
Madison Metro held a "Tweet Chat" this afternoon; General Manager Chuck Kamp and Transit and Parking Commission member Margaret Bergamini we standing by to answer questions submitted to Metro's Twitter account. I submitted two questions, but I wasn't particularly satisfied with the answers I received.
@JHeaton416 Blue lights reduce reflection for drivers which provides for a safer ride #MetroInput
- Metro Transit (@mymetrobus) October 11, 2013
I think they're right about reflection, but I question their positioning it as a safety issue. Less than half of the Metro fleet has blue overhead lights; if safety is such a major concern, why haven't they all been changed? It should also be noted that they failed to respond to my followup question: "Should I avoid the many buses that have white overhead lights, since they are apparently less safe than those with blue lights?"
As for my second question:
@JHeaton416 Unfortunately not #MetroInput
- Metro Transit (@mymetrobus) October 11, 2013
Again, I'm not convinced. If a Nissan Leaf can be converted into a stretch limo, then a bus can have its windows replaced. I think they're just being narrrowminded.
The less-than-satisfactory answers notwithstanding, I do appreciate Metro doing this sort of thing. They're usually pretty terrible at responding to comments made via Twitter. (For example, I'd complained about the blue overhead lights on at least three previous occasions, none of which were responded to.)