Main Street MAX

[bahua]

That and "Kansas City Live!"

[carfreekc]

agreed about "Max".

I personally think it should say something like:

RIVER MARKET - DOWNTOWN - STATION - CROWN CENTER - PLAZA - BROOKSIDE

or something similar (you get the idea) in big colorful letters on the side so that a passerby or someone in their car looking at the new buses will know exactly where that bus goes and what its all about. Thats one reason many dont take public transit, the perception of complicated routes and the lack of knowledge where it goes. You know?

When I hear "MAX," I think of Portland's light rail....so I can't get that out of my head. I'm underwhelmed by both, but I don't have any other better suggestions, either.

kcteen, great point. You should send that comment to the ATA. When I was in Paris a couple of years ago, I took a couple of (non-digital and not scanned) photos of the sides of their buses...they did exactly what you're talking about with the major destination points on signs on the sides of all buses. They had the best transit signage/information by far that I've seen so far.

[KCK]

Im really glad KC is opting for something other than light rail. The more I look into light rail, the more I can tell KC isn't ready. I see other cities spending billions on it, but to tell you the truth, Im not sure it would work here due to the whole decentralized nature of things.

[KCDevin]

yea bahua, itd be better if the exclamation point wasnt there IMO.

[bahua]

I'd like it better if it didn't have a name that suggests searchlights and temporariness(is that a word?). I would be very happy with "Bloch Plaza" or "Arena Square," or anything that would indicate that it's part of something.

[trailerkid]

I just realized where I saw the "meet Max" thing used before. United's new discount airline is called Ted and its ad slogan is "meet Ted."

http://www.united.com/page/article/0,13 ... %2Fairline

Nice try KC, but come original please.

[trailerkid]

MAX wins.

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascit ... 766113.htm

Rapid-transit bus project gets new name

By BENITA Y. WILLIAMS The Kansas City Star

Something new is coming to town that promises to take Kansas City places.

It's MAX, the bus rapid-transit system being planned by the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority. On Wednesday, ATA commissioners voted to call the new system the Metropolitan Area Express, or MAX for short.

With MAX, new buses will be equipped with devices to hold green lights longer and shorten red lights. The plan also calls for dedicated MAX lanes and bus shelters with electric signs to let riders know when the next bus arrives. The rapid buses would run about every 10 minutes during rush hour and every 15 to 20 minutes at other times.

MAX's proposed route runs from the River Market to the Plaza along Grand Boulevard and Oak, Wyandotte and Main streets. Some MAX vehicles also will travel along Brookside Boulevard to 75th Street.

ATA officials plan to have MAX running by the summer of 2005. Officials estimate the system's capital cost at about $22 million.

Also Wednesday, ATA commissioners agreed to join with the Mid-America Regional Council and transit officials in Wyandotte and Johnson counties to apply for another $750,000 in federal funds in 2005 for detailed planning on Smart Moves, a proposed regional transit system.

To reach Benita Y. Williams, call (816) 234-4789 or send e-mail to bwilliams@kcstar.com.



© 2004 Kansas City Star and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved.
http://www.kansascity.com

[GRID]

I didn't know MAX was actually an acronym.
"Metropolitan Area Express" transit and acronym go hand in hand I guess.

I still hope they don't just paint a regular transit bus. These buses need be be sleeker and more like light rail cars to get attention and be comfortable and inviting to new riders and tourists, especially in transit-phobia KC.

[trailerkid]

Exactly Grid...they need to attract people who have never rode the bus or even a bus. A sleek design and focused PR campaign could do this. I wish they would hire Bernstein-Rein for advertising, but it would probably be too pricey. Maybe B-R could use it as a tax write-off.

[KCPowercat]

Those bus stops aren't good enough....they are just updated versions of what we have.

[dangerboy]

Maybe there could be bigger stops near key destinations or at major bus transfer points (e.g. Crown Center, 39th and Main), but I can't think of many places along the route that have room anything bigger than a curb-side shelter. The signs look very prominent, which should be a big help.

I'm glad the ATA is saying that's a "possible" design for the busses. Originally they were talking about sleeker, more unique designs, so hopefully it will evolve between now and 2005.

[tat2kc]

It looks like the bus is a stock graphic of a city bus from a basic graphics program. I bet the actual BRT bus will be a different design.

[KCDevin]

anyone remember this?

[tat2kc]

Now that is a great ride!

[KCDowntown]

found this on the internet. It is the design for stops along the BRT line. I'm sure it is preliminary, but it is something to go on.

BRT Stop Design

[KCPowercat]

I think those blow....should offer more protection from the weather as well as being a bit bigger...shouldn't these be more like light rail stations like the ones in downtown Denver?

Ok I just proved myself totally wrong, maybe they don't need to have any more protection...here are the denver stations...and they have bad weather much longer than we do here:



I still think they should be a bit larger, especially the more busy stations. I love the status on how long till the next one though.

[KCPowercat]

Give me something like this:



Also I think the bus color scheme should be a dramatic difference from regular buses....maybe same color scheme but opposite main colors....to highlight that it is different.

[KC0KEK]

The Denver rail stations do look better, but I'd still like to see some sort of enclosure on the sides to protect against wind and rain. Even the bus stops in KCI satellite parking had that.

[KCK]

I would like to see the entire BRT stop being elevated so there is no step-up to take. Its like walking into a train at the subway station. Speaking of that, we need like a main depot or something indoors. Oh and they should give the buses a more modern look.

[KCK]

KC, that looks awesome. If we dont have LRT, our BRT should look as much like it as possible. Check out this pic. Now this is a bus I wouldn't be ashamed to ride on. Could we link tourist destinations and the airport?