View Full Version : Visitor Points Out -- Trolley Hours Don't Make Sense



writerranger
08-10-2006, 04:18 PM
Trolley hours from Bricktown to the I-40/Meridian Quadrant stop at 11:00PM ! In fact, I checked and they stop everywhere at 11:00.

Someone pointed out their frustration to me today that while staying in OKC, they took the trolley to Bricktown, stayed and enjoyed themselves until Midnight or so and discovered our "mass transit" had left them stranded, as it had stopped an hour earlier! He told me neither one of them bothered to ask as they assumed (with some common sense) that a city this size wouldn't shut down the transportation at 11:00. They should have asked, but I also agree that it seems very early for an entertainment district. They liked Oklahoma City, but pointed to things like this that thought it made us seem less than a big city.

I had no response that would have made a lick of sense.

Thoughts?

-------------

bandnerd
08-10-2006, 04:28 PM
We've run into that before...got stranded at the ballpark after a late-running game at 10pm on a Wednesday night. The hours in one place said they ran until 11...but at the stop by the ballpart it said 8. A letter of complaint was written, and some free vouchers were issued.

No, the hours don't make sense. Neither does the frequency of the trolley runs. They are supposed to run every 20 minutes but we've waited 30 minutes it seemed before, and ended up walking from the art museum to Bricktown several times. It's not something I like to do in the dark very often.

I don't have any advice, either, or explanations. It is odd. We gave up relying on the trolley a long time ago.

Lauri101
08-10-2006, 06:17 PM
As an EWAG, I would say it may be pure economics - supply vs. demand.

However, another thought would be the rural mentality that, unfortunately, still exists in the OKC metro area - "11 o' clock? Now why would anyone be up that late?"

With the price of fuel, it likely wouldn't be cost effective to run a regular schedule of trolleys until late night. Perhaps the motels/hotels in the Meridian corridor could work on that as a group? It would certainly benefit business!

writerranger
08-10-2006, 11:41 PM
Perhaps the motels/hotels in the Meridian corridor could work on that as a group? It would certainly benefit business!

That's a very good idea. These people I know can't be the first out-of-towners to walk away with this impression. Of course, as Mrs. Midtowner ( :) ) said, it's a multi-issue problem.

Midtowner
08-11-2006, 12:13 AM
As an EWAG, I would say it may be pure economics - supply vs. demand.

However, another thought would be the rural mentality that, unfortunately, still exists in the OKC metro area - "11 o' clock? Now why would anyone be up that late?"

With the price of fuel, it likely wouldn't be cost effective to run a regular schedule of trolleys until late night. Perhaps the motels/hotels in the Meridian corridor could work on that as a group? It would certainly benefit business!

On the other side of that coin, if the trolleys don't run when they say they're going to run, and if they don't run at reasonable hours, no one will use them. We basically live on the trolley route and no longer rely on them.

Redneck Cabbie
08-12-2006, 01:28 PM
Stranded? Were there no cabs available?

Lauri101
08-12-2006, 02:09 PM
Stranded? Were there no cabs available?

RC-

Rarely have I seen a cab in downtown OKC, unless it has either been called for or perhaps at a hotel.

I travel a lot to D.C. for business, and love being able to hang over a curb and hail a cab. In this region of the country, it seems, again, a case of supply and demand. Oklahomans and Texans are in love with our personal vehicles. Even the increasing cost of gasoline and parking can't seem to persuade us otherwise!

Patrick
08-12-2006, 03:52 PM
After 11PM, why not just have one stop available in front of the ballpark to go back to I-40 and Meridian. Wouldn't need to service the stops going the other way. Post it in the trolleys. It wouldn't cost much extra in gas to have a trolley sitting in front of the ballpark until it's needed.

bandnerd
08-12-2006, 04:20 PM
Because I need to pay $5 to take a cab a mile? Don't think so. We walked. We were "stranded" in the sense that the trolley system failed us, that's all.

Midtowner
08-12-2006, 04:30 PM
Because I need to pay $5 to take a cab a mile? Don't think so. We walked. We were "stranded" in the sense that the trolley system failed us, that's all.


Exactly -- in the sense that Bricktown is an entertainment district. Therefore, if the city is going to support it with public transportation, they should ensure that the public transportation is reliably available for those who want in and out of the district.

If not that, at the very least, they can post their hours in prominent locations so as to not encourage such a reliance.

11PM isn't great -- and that's what it is 2-3 nights/week. 8PM which it is for the rest of the nights is simply unreasonable.

Redneck Cabbie
08-13-2006, 01:22 AM
Because I need to pay $5 to take a cab a mile? Don't think so. We walked. We were "stranded" in the sense that the trolley system failed us, that's all.

There are so many things that come to mind, none of which are acceptable according to this board's TOS. I will say that no cab service is five bucks per mile. I'm not sure yet what the distance between Bricktown and Meridian is. At a guess I'm sure it wouldn't have run more than 15 bucks, or about the same as a round of drinks for 3 three people.

bandnerd
08-13-2006, 07:43 AM
Redneck Cabbie--this thread is about the trolley system, not how to use a cab. I certainly wasn't trying to offend you, but the times I have used a cab (though they weren't in OKC) it cost me about $5 to go around the distance I wanted to go, which was comparable to the distance we're talking about from the ballpark to my apartment. I've never used a cab here, but again, we're talking about the trolleys.

If I had the choice of a 25 cent trolley ride that goes right by my apartment, or a much more expensive cab ride, which one do you think I'm going to take?

At that time, I didn't have a choice for either, so sitting here talking about how much cabs cost is pointless. There was no transportation available that night, so we walked. No big deal.

Redneck Cabbie
08-13-2006, 11:09 AM
Yes... I'm a little partial to the taxicab industry.

My point is that you get what you pay for. At 25 cents per head, you should be glad the trolley runs past 6pm. I don't know anything about the bus system there, but I think I've seen that it don't run very late either.

Bottom line is publicly subsidized transportation should be appreciated for what it does offer, and a person should make contingency plans if they plan to be out during the times these services are not operating.

bandnerd
08-13-2006, 02:06 PM
Cabbie--

If they had properly posted their running times, we would have done what you have just suggested. However, the times weren't properly posted leaving us and quite a few other people at the ballgame wondering where the trolley was until we read everything a little more closely.

Redneck Cabbie
08-13-2006, 06:19 PM
I did a little research...

The trolley hours are nowhere to be found. Bus hours are pretty bad for a city that size.

Bandnerd, I do understand your point.

:bow: