Problems with CABA's transportation system

[hankscott]

I love so much about the Buenos Aires public transportation system. Many of the stations are beautiful and artsy. There are often elevators or escalators, something hard to find in New York City, where I once lived. The system covers so much of the city that I rarely feel the need to call for an Uber or a taxi. But there are things that I think need to be fixed:

-- Every bus stop should have a posted sign that indicates the numbers of the buses that are supposed to stop there. Many do, but not all. Sometimes, if you look carefully, you can find a number written on a piece of paper taped to a pole. Sometimes there is nothing.

-- Every bus should have a maximum capacity for passengers. I have been on buses so crowded that a passenger couldn't push his way down the aisle to the exit door at his preferred stop. And once I entered a bus so crowded I couldn't move past the driver, and actually, the front door closed on my backpack.

-- Drivers should not open the exit doors before the bus actually stops. I've seen people standing near the exit door at the center of the bus who are stunned when it opens while the bus is still running. Someone could fall out before the bus comes to a stop.

-- Drivers should listen to you when you tell them your destination. I know that information is meant for them to determine the price of your ride. But I have found myself telling a driver my destination only to find out many minutes later that the bus isn't going in that direction. Yes, it's a problem with Google Maps. But if I were to board a plane and tell the attendant that I'm headed to New York City and then find myself on my way to Moscow, I should have the right to complain.

-- There should be a requirement for a certain number of buses on every line every day. I frequently find myself waiting a long time for the 15 on Scalabrini Ortiz. Often they do arrive, but they won't stop, leaving us hopeful passengers frustrated. If the operator of a bus doesn't let it travel frequently and pick up passengers, it can't make money.

-- Subway stations should have functional bathrooms. I once found myself in a very awkward situation while on a long wait for the D train and had to sneak to the end of the station and pee on the wall. Not something I'm proud of.

-- Subway stations should list the name of the stop not just near the ceiling, but also at a lower level of the wall so that it can be easily seen by a passenger sitting on the car. This also is a big problem in New York City, where people have to jump out of their seats to see where they are and hope they can sit back down if it's not their stop.

-- The D line needs to curb its insane screaming alert that the doors are closing. I am going to lose my hearing if it doesn't.

Does anyone know how to communicate with the city authorities overseeing the transit system in Buenos Aires?

 

[Johnny]

I love so much about the Buenos Aires public transportation system. Many of the stations are beautiful and artsy. There are often elevators or escalators, something hard to find in New York City, where I once lived. The system covers so much of the city that I rarely feel the need to call for an Uber or a taxi. But there are things that I think need to be fixed:

-- Every bus stop should have a posted sign that indicates the numbers of the buses that are supposed to stop there. Many do, but not all. Sometimes, if you look carefully, you can find a number written on a piece of paper taped to a pole. Sometimes there is nothing.

-- Every bus should have a maximum capacity for passengers. I have been on buses so crowded that a passenger couldn't push his way down the aisle to the exit door at his preferred stop. And once I entered a bus so crowded I couldn't move past the driver, and actually, the front door closed on my backpack.

-- Drivers should not open the exit doors before the bus actually stops. I've seen people standing near the exit door at the center of the bus who are stunned when it opens while the bus is still running. Someone could fall out before the bus comes to a stop.

-- Drivers should listen to you when you tell them your destination. I know that information is meant for them to determine the price of your ride. But I have found myself telling a driver my destination only to find out many minutes later that the bus isn't going in that direction. Yes, it's a problem with Google Maps. But if I were to board a plane and tell the attendant that I'm headed to New York City and then find myself on my way to Moscow, I should have the right to complain.

-- There should be a requirement for a certain number of buses on every line every day. I frequently find myself waiting a long time for the 15 on Scalabrini Ortiz. Often they do arrive, but they won't stop, leaving us hopeful passengers frustrated. If the operator of a bus doesn't let it travel frequently and pick up passengers, it can't make money.

-- Subway stations should have functional bathrooms. I once found myself in a very awkward situation while on a long wait for the D train and had to sneak to the end of the station and pee on the wall. Not something I'm proud of.

-- Subway stations should list the name of the stop not just near the ceiling, but also at a lower level of the wall so that it can be easily seen by a passenger sitting on the car. This also is a big problem in New York City, where people have to jump out of their seats to see where they are and hope they can sit back down if it's not their stop.

-- The D line needs to curb its insane screaming alert that the doors are closing. I am going to lose my hearing if it doesn't.

Does anyone know how to communicate with the city authorities overseeing the transit system in Buenos Aires?

In general this is a problem in Buenos Aires. When you got to go often it is a "crapshoot" actually finding a public bathroom.

 

[elhombresinnombre]

Good points, well made @hankscott . In my opinion, it comes down to money and culture.

It's interesting for me to to see a New Yorker commenting on overcrowding since I've always believed that the role of Passenger Pusher originated on the New York subway and even though I don't think it has been an active task there this century, they still employ passenger pushers in Japan and China and elsewhere as well. (My experience of passenger pushing in Matutus in Uganda can be summed up by the Ugandan joke: Q - How many people can you fit into a matutu? A - Two more.) But overcrowding and lack of resouces seem to be tolerated by this society and I think it's going to take a long time for that to change.

The cause of many of the things you mention is lack of money. To my knowledge, there isn't an effective public transportation system in the world that doesn't depend on public subsidies and, even after the recent large increases in the prices passengers have to pay in Buenos Aires, it would still be necessary for huge amounts of public money to go into keeping public transport working. So I'm afraid that, unless more people and more businesses are prepared to pay more tax and the national government is willing to allow more public spending in the conurbano, things are not likely to change very much very soon.

 

[Rich One]

In general this is a problem in Buenos Aires. When you got to go often it is a "crapshoot" actually finding a public bathroom.

Very useful are the Apps that give you choices of buses, to get to your destination, such as Moovit, Transit or Google Maps. Lets you know when the next bus arrives, how crowded, shows number of stops on the map to your destination and how you are moving along on the bus.

La aplicación para saber cuándo llega el próximo colectivo ya funciona en la mitad de la flota del área Metropolitana de Buenos Aires

_Cuándo SUBO, la aplicación de celular gratuita que permite saber a qué hora llega el colectivo a la parada, sumó 41 nuevas líneas al servicio. Esto suma ya un total de 160 líneas con cobertura y 9.234 colectivos, la mitad del transporte público del AMBA. Para fin de año la aplicación funcionará...

www.argentina.gob.ar

 

[elhombresinnombre]

Very useful are the Apps that give you choices of buses, to get to your destination, such as Moovit, Transit or Google Maps. Lets you know when the next bus arrives, how crowded, shows number of stops on the map to your destination and how you are moving along on the bus.

La aplicación para saber cuándo llega el próximo colectivo ya funciona en la mitad de la flota del área Metropolitana de Buenos Aires

_Cuándo SUBO, la aplicación de celular gratuita que permite saber a qué hora llega el colectivo a la parada, sumó 41 nuevas líneas al servicio. Esto suma ya un total de 160 líneas con cobertura y 9.234 colectivos, la mitad del transporte público del AMBA. Para fin de año la aplicación funcionará...

www.argentina.gob.ar

I'm still using my old Guia-T. I guess there must be people here who have never heard of Guia-T or is it still in print somewhere and I just haven't found it yet?

 

[elhombresinnombre]

In general this is a problem in Buenos Aires. When you got to go often it is a "crapshoot" actually finding a public bathroom.

Just to say that, as a speaker of British English, I just LOVE your use of "crap shoot" up there.

 

[Rich One]

Just to say that, as a speaker of British English, I just LOVE your use of "crap shoot" up there.

Bathrooms in Subway stations tend to disappear because of crime, insecurity, drugs and violence. Baths require cleaning personnel and sometimes security guards. Venturing in a subway bath IS a crapshoot.