This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2010, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
I regularly take advantage of the Utah Transit Authority's bus and TRAX service.
The buses and trains I ride are frequently not on time; they're either late or early. Either variation is difficult for riders, especially for those making connections.
The more off-schedule the arrival, the more difficult it is to incorporate public transportation into your daily activities.
I was disappointed that the story "More trains, fewer buses in UTA's 2011 budget proposal" (Tribune, Oct. 28) made no mention of any effort by UTA to report its on-time performance, nor is such information on its website.
At a time when UTA is asking for a budget approval, it should be crucial to provide this measure of success and efficiency.
A transit system that has experienced extreme growth and plans for more ought to integrate this type of reporting from the start.
In contrast, New York City's Metropolitan Transit Authority system is much larger and more complicated than UTA's, yet it reports to its customers its efficiency rates.
MTA provides extremely detailed on-time information in its online NYC Transit Performance Dashboard. Utahns should expect the same from UTA. Put it in the budget.
Jesse Killinger
Magna