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What’s the matter with bus #51 in Dartmouth? I catch the dockyard bus in the morning, it is never on time, either late or too early, sometimes, like last Friday it doesn’t come at all. If you call Metro Transit they can’t seem to find it. —Wish I Had a Car
This article appears in May 26 – Jun 1, 2011.
10 Comments
Last Friday it broke down or something, and apparently they just didn’t bother to send another one. I always miss it by a minute because it leaves too early most days. I just get the 58 or 61 because it stops at on Barrington by the walkway that leads down to the Dockyard. It only takes a minute to walk down.
When I can get around town more convienently by bus than car….and I mean the WHOLE HRM then I will concider parking my vehicle. Metro Transit sucks. ;p
Ooooh 51 how I loathe thee!
I’d miss it by a mi nute too when I’d have to transfer at the bridge terminal because the 52’s a jerk.
My 10s in the morning seem to think that it’s FUN to fuck with me and leave early. The 21 used to pull that shit, but hasn’t done it in a while. Someone must’ve called and complained.
I don’t care if busses are late — most time that can’t be helped but my GOD stay at the freaking time point until you’re supposed to! 2 or 3 minutes CAN make a difference! The 10 this morning fucked off JUST as I was getting off the 35 and it left three minutes early. MORE than enough time for me to get on it if it had’ve stayed. 🙁
AMEN!! I too catch the same bus and you can pretty much resign yourself to the fact that AT LEAST once a week it is either extremely late or a complete no-show! (Like this morning for instance) I can completely understand that it’s Halifax at morning rush hour and shit WILL happen, (i.e. breakdowns, accidents, construction, etc, etc), but to just not have it show up at all is fucking bullshit. Why the fuck doesn’t Metro Transhit have a contingency plan in place so that if there is a bus down for whatever reason that after 10 minutes they send out another bus to pick up the route? (Maybe they do have a contingency plan in place, I dunno) but, ffs..am I talking completely out of my ass on this one? I have a car but, unless I want to park 2 miles away, it makes more sense for me to take the bus, especially when it stops immediately outside my front door. The city wants more commuters to start using the bus to clear up congestion on the streets then they had better start making the existing transit system in this city a fuck-of-a-lot-more reliable. Anyway, it’s all been said before ad nauseam..I’m done venting.
Metro transit doesn’t even consider a bus “late” until it’s 15 minutes past the schedule time.
True story. They told me that once when I first moved here and complained about the 52 never being on time. Oh how naive I was.
Eventually I just said “fuck it” and stopped relying on the 51 and even though my theoritical balls froze the fuck off, I walked to and from the bridge terminal from work (15 minutes each way). When the weather got nicer I just walked across the bridge to avoid taking the 52. Lost 20lbs just from the walking during that internship.
some of these drivers need a good kick in the ass, some, not all. i know quite a few, and they are absolute bears for being on time. even during the rush hours. because if they aren’t, it throws the whole scheme out of whack, and you, are left holding the shit stick.
I live on Windmill road but I wouldn’t say I live on a bus route. I never consider the 51 in my travel plans and just get myself to the bridge terminal on foot, you just can’t depend on the 51.
If a bus breaks down, we call it in and a replacement is sent. In a perfect setting, that’s what happens, and it doesn’t take too long. Problem is, during peak times we often run short on replacement buses. That’s a rant for another day *grumble grumble*.
As for the 51 dockyard, stay tuned because…hey, where’d that smelly cloth come fro…..zzz
The 21 my mom was on broke down once on the Fairview overpass and there was a replacement bus sent within 20 minutes.
Anyone ever been on the 51 when that old lady was on it that tells random people they’re pretty? It’s like she chooses one female and tells them they’re really pretty. Then talks about her “boyfriend.” One day she argued with the driver about routes. He said some route didn’t go to Penhorn (because it doesn’t) and she kept yelling “YES IT DOES!” haha
Dartmouth routes are so ghetto.
OP, start saving your money for a new 2012 because those boxed loser cruisers are a joke.