The Brian Lehrer Show

I just checked out megabus.com and they are offering free trips between New York and Boston the weekend of May 30th. I guess this must be an inaugural special.

Wow! Now we'll actually WANT to hang back behind the bus!

The black market is already on this one. Emergency vehicles already have this system to speed theuir way through traffic. I remember a news report last summer about a guy who got arrested for using one in his car.

*** MY QUESTION IS ***

Why aren't more efficiencies incorporated into the customer service operations at the MTA. I have been provided with at least three different numbers to call for information on bus schedules, etc. Each with a different set of hours of operation. I live one block from the crane collapse, the flyers posted on the bus stop signs announcing route changes had a number to call with invalid hours of operation. The number provided is NEVER answered by a human...just try calling 1.888.NYCT.BUS. After waiting through five rings, a recording is almost always reached advising the caller to leave a message that will be answered in (they hope) one business day. This annoyance is especially true when the calls are made during morning or evening commute hours.

In Germany, payment of bus fares in on the bus rider. There are roving inspectors, but each rider has to "stamp" their fare in one of the several fare boxes located throughout the bus. Passengers board from both the back and the front of the bus.

In staten island where I live, we are completely dependent on buses and the service is TERRIBLE! The buses are filthy and not a week goes by when a scheduled bus (or series of busses) completely fails to show up. They introduced express service that shows p completely randomly -- one day it will be running and the next there just isn't any service with no explanation. It's pathetic, and there are no trains as an alternative.

How about a conversatyion about the empty express

buses that run north and south on the east side,

and are basically empty all day long except for rush hour. This deserves a cost benifit check.

Well, it certainly doesn't make any sense when you have a fully-loaded bus because everyone who is standing has to get off the bus and then get back on the bus to let even one or two people pass. Having multiple entrances/exits is so much better.

New York to San Francisco on the Grey Rabbit in 197something (Hippie Bus)

First they've moved the bus stops (the 23rd St/8th Ave stop is almost to 7th Ave, etc.) and now the bus will change a red light to green. When you get off one bus and want to transfer to the other bus it's already harder to run for a bus, but now it's going to be impossible. And they're really going to sell tickets (or bus admission) in advance and keep all those who have already paid in a cage? What happens if you've already paid and the @#$%&^% bus doesn't come? Sounds like a great way for the MTA to make more money without providing any service.

On the subject of bus lines, is it my imagination or is there a complete monopoly on busses in the northeast? There used to be a dozen different lines, but now Peter Pan and Greyhound and Carl Beiber and Trailways and who knows what else are all the same company, and now the tickets cost as much as Amtrak.

when I graduated college in 1978 Greyhound had a 2-month 1-price ($325) bus pass with which you could get on and off the bus as many times as you wanted. I got names of people who knew people and got off and on at least a dozen times--it was remarkable.

Brian, Big fan of yours. I invite you to see streetfilms.com as your guest suggested to see Bogota's transformation in not only traffic/ congestion, but life style. I think Bogotá has had a valuable experience in this matter that New York city can learn from, thanks

Brian's comments about drug gangs and paramilitaries in Bogotá only shows his profound ignorance and bias about Colombia and Latin America as a whole. Bogotá has been transforming into one of the world's best sustainable city as shown on PBS Special last week on channel 13 http://www.pbs.org/e2/episodes/209_bogota_building_sustainable_city_trailer.html

Bogotá, also known as "The South American Athens", is a safe, cosmopolitan and ever-changing city that is achieving great socially inclusiveness (unlike the one seen in many American cities). You should also be aware that Bogotá has now a lower crime rate than many US cities including DC.

To realize the changes are taking place down there, please check this NYT article published this past Sunday: http://travel.nytimes.com/2008/03/23/travel/23surfacing.html?st=cse&sq=colombia&scp=3

Another great thing about Bogota is that it has the LARGEST WORLD THEATER FESTIVAL held biennally. This year the United Kingdom is the guest country.

Brian: I challenge you and WNYC to do more positive coverage about all Latin America, its cities, people and culture. There is plenty of POSITIVE ideas, trends and developings that the world is not aware of.

I urge you to be more informed before you make such uninformed comments as your listeners always expect more from you and WNYC.