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Bus smoothes out small bumps
By WILL VAN SANT SPRING HILL -- Too few brochures. Some confusion about the difference between a route sign and a bus stop. Mild frustration about where THE Bus does and does not go. But nothing in the way of a breakdown or an accident Monday, the kind of thing that could spark earnest public conversation over whether the county should put the brakes on its new public transportation system. It was, all considered, a rather uneventful debut for THE Bus -- slang for The Hernando Express. Planners who had worked toward this day for four years, overcoming political and logistical hurdles along the way, welcomed the smooth introduction. "Pretty good for the first day," said county planner Dennis Dix, who has led the project from the beginning. "We are getting some calls from citizens who are concerned that THE Bus does not go in front of their house, and some calls from citizens who are concerned that THE Bus does go in front of their house." Routes 1 and 2 of the system, which serve Spring Hill, got rolling yesterday. Route 3, which serves Brooksville, will get under way Monday. It is estimated that one-third of the county's population does not own a vehicle or are too young or unable to drive. The bus system is meant to help these people -- students, the disabled, the elderly and the poor among them -- to conveniently get from place to place. Though official numbers were not available, by 1 p.m. drivers on the two Spring Hill routes estimated they had taken aboard 45 passengers. Service on the routes runs from 8 a.m. until just before 5 p.m. Some passengers were using THE Bus to make doctor visits, some to go shopping, and others just to check out the new service, drivers said. James Mock, 28, was working as a bus driver for Walt Disney World before taking a job with THE Bus. The Brooksville native wanted something closer to home and now finds himself driving the roads he knows best. Mock says the diesel-powered Blue Bird buses are nimble and easy to drive. And the pneumatic seat is comfortable enough that he can spend the whole day on his backside and not get stiff. "It's more or less the chair you wish you had at home on football Sunday," Mock said, demonstrating how he is able to pump himself up and down. The seats for passengers are pretty good too. "These are comfortable!" said Bonnie White, 50, when she took a load off after waiting for THE Bus on Spring Hill Drive. White, who does auto detailing, has not owned a car for two years and relies on her son for transportation. She decided to ride the Spring Hill routes just to see where they went and how THE Bus could give her a bit more mobility. When THE Bus cruised past Murphy's Market, where White likes to buy produce, she was sold. "This is great," she said. "I think I'm going to be using it quite a bit." Beverly James, 51, took her 79-year-old aunt, Mavis Melhabo, on the Spring Hill buses to explore too. According to James, Melhabo recently moved from Connecticut and has not been particularly happy about being beholden to family to get her around. Melhabo, she said, was taken with THE Bus -- for her, it means trips to shop and visit the dentist or doctor without having to rely on anybody else. "I'm looking forward to using it quite a lot," Melhabo said. For the record, 200 signs mark the Spring Hill routes. They are not bus stops proper, but drivers will stop at them or anywhere else along the routes to pick people up. All one must do is signal the driver with a waving hand. However, on main arteries such as U.S. 19 and State Road 50, drivers prefer to pull into the nearest parking lot or driveway to pick up passengers rather than at the bus route signs. Passengers can ride for free during the first month. Visit www.HernandoBus.com or call 754-4444 for route information. -- Will Van Sant covers Hernando County government and can be reached at 754-6127. Send e-mail to vansant@sptimes.com .
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From today's Hernando Times Letters Editorial |
