Video Blogging

Seemed like an awesome idea at first, but when I got to Kensington this morning and started filming myself, I felt like a flake.  Like a big ole dork.  We had a lot of fun at lunch goofing off with the camera, so hopefully as I get used to it, I'll feel less like an idiot.  But I definitely need to learn how to use video editing software!  MARTA needs high quality videos, right?

You should check out their YouTube site here:

itsmartanews channel

And this is a really cool video on their channel:



So check them out, and when I get some videos done, ya'll will be the first to know!

Continuing Transportation in Clayton County

This weekend my parents were in town, which means that I got drug all over the greater Atlanta region, even down to the outlets south of the city.

I hate outlets. 

But, on the way there, we had breakfast in Jonesboro (Clayton County) at a Waffle House.  Yum.  I had a pecan waffle, of course.  And posted on the door of the Waffle House was this awesome sign:

This company, Continuing Transportation, is providing commuting options to Clayton County.  I know nothing about it, but I think it's great how the community is rallying together.  I also heard that churches were trying to provide service as well, using their own vans.

You can find out more about Continuing Transportation and their schedule on their blog.  The apparently only run in during rush hour times and at designated stops, but their website says that they will pick up at bus stops if they're not full and they see someone waiting.

Who's still waiting at bus stops?

Check them out at: http://atwtransport.blogspot.com

And if anyone's used them, let me know.  I might try them for the heck of it sometime.

Happy Easter MARTA!!!

I'm starting to get disappointed in you, Atlanta.  You're letting DC get the better of you, and how am I going to look to all my friends, like Metro Man?  I always use WMATA as a comparison as to how awesome MARTA is, like WMATA had another bus wreck last weekend.  I don't know when the last MARTA bus wreck was, but since I don't remember it, I'm gonna say it's been a while.  I keep up with these sorts of things.  And MARTA's not derailed in like, this century, I think.

Anyways, for all the awesome MARTA is, the Washington Post sponsors a Peep Diorama Contest.  And that, my friends, is pretty much the coolest Marketing idea ever.  Next year, I think it's time we peeped it up.

Happy Easter!!!

Photo is Unsuck DC Metro's contribution to the contest.  Peeps cramed in a tin can.  Metro fail, MARTA win.

Tokens in a down econmy!

MARTA is running the following campaign:

Which is quite awesome.  Turn in your old tokens for trips!  Yay!  I have two tokens, given to me by MARTA, in cute little cases.  I could crack those bad boys up and save myself $4, but I like them.  They're shiny, and were gifts.  Therefore, we'll keep those.

On the other hand, not too long ago I did a search online to buy tokens.  I wanted some to make myself and the Accidental Commuter MARTA necklaces.  I also was going to have a couple made into a pair of cufflinks for One, because these seem like the sort of thing he needs.  Yes, I am that much of a dork.  I found a lot of tokens, 100 tokens for $55.  Plus $4 shipping.  So, I figure, out of the 100 tokens, I need 4, 5 tops.  That leaves me with 95 tokens I could turn in for trips on MARTA.  This is a cost savings of $143.95. 

I think this makes me fiscally conservative, which helps offset the shopping trip I'll post about soon :)

No, I'm not really going to do this, because that would be ripping off MARTA, which is wrong.  So don't get any bright ideas, either.  But I am probably going to start selling MARTA jewelry soon.  :)

WMATA One Upped MARTA

AGAIN!  First they get pets, now they give their bloggers Jobs.

Hey MARTA, thanks for letting me do the photo shoot and video tape and all, but when do I get to be VP of something?

PS - One of those bloggers mentioned is actually from Atlanta and went to Tech for his undergraduate degree.  He's now in DC getting a masters in transit planning.  You can visit his blog here.

I went shopping!

OMG a girl goes shopping.  SO blog-worthy.

Actually, I bought myself a camcorder.  I was going to get one of those Flips, but when I went to look at them, I found an incredibly awesome JVC HD 60 GB hard-drive camcorder with all sorts of fancy bells and whistles on clearance for the same price as the Flip, so guess what I now own?  It's amazing, and blue, and pretty much the coolest thing ever.

So why am I blogging about a camcorder on a transit blog?  Cause MARTA gave me full access to film in and on and around MARTA.  As a part of my being discovered by for my awesomeness and adoration of all things MARTA, someone suggested I be able to film my misadventures.  Now I get to pretend I'm some sort of special and post to the MARTA YouTube channel.  I have no idea what I'm doing, but this awesome camcorder features one touch uploads to YouTube.  So at least whatever I do will be easy.

Yay!

The Georgian Terrance

Mr. 10B, who rides the bus with me in the afternoons when our schedules permit, answered The Accidental Commuter's call for the elusive Georgian Terrance sign.  He has now won her undying affection and can consider himself an official Transit Misadventure Rider :)

Thanks Mr. 10B!

For those of  you who read the blog and don't live in Atlanta, that is supposed to say "Terrace," which is why we're ammused.  Now it's funny.  Laugh.

Our problems are part

of a national epidemic.  However, MARTA was featured in USA Today:

In a fiscal pinch, transit agencies offer less for more

And I hadn't thought about but it, but it makes sense:

Job woes reduce transit ridership

It's going down in Florida!

It's always fun to see videos of people going crazy on the bus.  Why do people like to make fools of themselves?  And in case you didn't know, buses do have cameras.  Generally, when there's an accident, the driver slams on the break, or when the driver pushes a button, the cameras record and save 15 minutes before and after said incident.  So they may not catch everything, but if the driver's paying attention, then you wind up with footage like this. 

I hope this dude gets caught, so then we can laugh at him.

Clayton County Should Start Rioting

It is official, CTRAN is DOA.  I'm curious as to why the news covered it all day yesterday, but I haven't seen anything on today.  AJC, 11Alive, you have failed me.  I want a story about who went to work today and who didn't.  How many employees were no shows at the airport?

Last night the news covered how churches were rallying to offer rides to folks and how Chariman Eldrin Bells, the only commissioner to vote in favor of CTRAN, rode the last 503 bus out of the airport last night.  The 503, from Hartsfield-Jackson into Clayton, was the first route for CTRAN.  The airport abounds with low-paying jobs, the type of which bus riders favor.

I wonder how the airport might suffer when it's employees can't get to work in the wake of CTRAN's shutdown and MARTA's cut backs?  And why hasn't the airport come out in support of our local transit services?