The New Buses Are Here!

Iowa City Department of Transportation has outdone themselves. They have brought in new buses into their fleet that do everything you'd want a bus to do, if you didn't want people to ride the bus.

• Make them unattractive to look at. The new buses look like their back ends are already on fire. 
• Secondly, make them uncomfortable to ride. The new busses have hard molded plastic seats that offer no cushioning. 
• Third, make them not function. On the route I ride, the bus stopped running. Literally the driver could not get the bus to go into gear. 

To summarize, the city has put a lemon of a bus on the streets that is both ugly and uncomfortable. Is it any wonder people get upset at how their tax monies get spent?

Here's my thoughts. Instead of bigger buses, get two or three smaller buses that can be called up on demand during off-peak times. Have these buses set up on an Uber combined with Bongo like app that let's people ask for a pick-up and let's them see what the ETA is looking like. At main stops, you could have "call boxes" for those without phones. Let local artists decorate the exteriors of the buses and make them more personable. Lastly, give your riders a modicum of comfort or have a basket of cushions available for those of us who don't enjoy a bone-jarring riding experience.