A little help here

Posted 03/18/2008 at 10:09 pm in Travel, Work

I drive a 2001 Dodge Durango. It’s comfy for a man of my size, but it SUCKS when it comes to filling up at the pump. (The car pictured here is not mine, but is a good representation.)

Dodge Durango - NOT MINE

I would love to get a new, more fuel-efficient vehicle to drive to work, but it just isn’t really viable for me right now. My Durango is totally paid for and I have no interest in picking up a monthly payment for another couple years.

I would however look into the option of taking the bus. Ongoing fuel costs are really killing me right now and I’d be happy to pay a few bucks per day to get to work. I wouldn’t mind the commute all that much either…I could get some reading done, listen to the iPod…I wouldn’t mind it.

Unfortunately, finding a bus route to get me from Olathe to Fairway is much more difficult than it should be. The main hub for The JO is only a few blocks from my office, but getting from a central location in Olathe to an office park in Fairway (I work right next door to KCTV5) is darn near impossible. Not only that, but figuring out The JO’s outdated route maps is totally ridiculous.

I’m trying to do the right thing here. I want to at least attempt to ride the bus, but it’s much more effort than it’s worth. I have a way of fixing it though…

Here’s my suggestion: a route suggestion tool. Enter your starting and ending addresses and the website spits out your best route for getting to where you need to go. Now, I’m no programmer, but I think that seems like a reasonable request for a metropolitan transit utility. Maybe something like that exists. If so, would someone please either tell me in the comments or e-mail me.

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12 Responses to “A little help here”

  1. RDM

    - 10:30 pm on 03/18/2008

    I’ve got an even better idea.
    Move to KCMO. Plenty of buses here.

  2. KC Sponge

    - 10:50 pm on 03/18/2008

    It exists in KCMO - its the eTrip planner . . . tried to see if it would give metro wide info, but I think I need exact addresses for it to work correctly.

    http://68.166.86.20/etripplanner/HomeForm.aspx

  3. The D

    - 10:52 pm on 03/18/2008

    XO just had a post about this Check his site for that post. He went from Independence, I think, to downtown. he did say that they have a route suggestion thingy that you are looking for. But maybe it was only for Missouri.

    I don’t know just check his post out and the comments.

  4. KC Sponge

    - 10:54 pm on 03/18/2008

    they also have posted park and ride locations - that’s what XO used over on the missouri side.

    http://www.thejo.com/main.aspx?page=parkride

  5. Jen

    - 7:28 am on 03/19/2008

    I attended a round-table discussion on this very topic back in October. Most people in JoCo had no idea about any way to get around on the JO. I know that they changed all their routes in the past year and they are not as efficient as the used to be. It seems that they are going in the wrong direction. Good luck.

  6. Erin

    - 9:55 am on 03/19/2008

    I would just call the metro & ask - they’ll tell you exactly where/when you need to be.

  7. logtar

    - 10:23 am on 03/21/2008

    They don’t have a carpooling website here in KC?

  8. Crafty

    - 7:47 am on 03/26/2008

    Dude, suck it up and tighten the belt. You’ve worked too long and hard to relegate yourself to riding the bus. It is the fulfillment of the American dream to buy the biggest car you can afford and drive just yourself in it across town to work. Besides, do you know who’s riding the bus? Yeah, it’s all those people who either can’t drive because they got busted driving drunk, or can’t afford a decent ride. Don’t go slummin’ in JoCo, it just ain’t right.

    Or, you could just trade the beast in on a nice Impala/Camry/Crown Vic. All those cars get 30 mpgs on the highway and ride like butta. Prolly do it for less than 10 large and have a monthly payment that’s lower than your current gas bill ;)

  9. Sarah

    - 11:20 pm on 03/26/2008

    I’m so proud of you Shane. I know I looked into carpooling with someone when I lived there. The Kansas side isn’t good at the “being green” like the Missouri side is, so it’ll be a little harder. I’m trying to think where it was I found a carpooling phone number. I’m sure there are plenty of people driving from Olathe to where you’re going.
    We’re looking into a Toyota Prius this summer for Rich.
    I don’t agree with the bus comments from Crafty, I wish more people would be willing to ride the bus like you.
    I remember living in KC when they kept voting down getting mass transportation. I thought it was RIDICULOUS!!
    Good luck with your “green” search!

  10. G2

    - 10:31 am on 03/31/2008

    On e Car: Hummer

  11. Crafty

    - 10:17 pm on 04/03/2008

    The Prius is a great car until you load it with people and/or go more than 55 MPH. At that point you’re better off with a regular car because you ain’t saving any gas, money, or carbon credits. People in cities with HOV lanes hate those cars because the drivers never want to go more than 55 and slow down everyone else.

    Be that as it may, my comment was mostly just a joke. I looked at riding the bus back when I was working for Sprint and just found it to be too inconvenient for my schedule. Mass transit works in cities that are tightly packed, but in Kansas City all it’s going to do is waste more money on a project that nobody is really going to use. Kansas Citians like their suburbs, green grass, freeways, and big cars. Nobody in JoCo is going to trade their Sequoias and Armadas for light rail.

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