Riding the bus in Manchester, NH

Editor's note: The following is the first part of a two-part series detailing my first ride aboard a Manchester Transit Authority bus.

In theory, I really like the new bicycle racks installed by the Manchester Transit Authority on each of the city's 22 buses. But when I came time to actually attach my (not inexpensive) bicycle to the front end of one of these multi-ton machines, I will admit I was a bit apprehensive:

I boarded a Manchester Transit Authority bus for the first time this past Saturday at the invitation of frequent bus rider and Union Leader.com commenter Ken Stremsky: 

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MTA riders (and supporters) unite!

The Manchester Transit Authority has its share of supporters, up to and including Mayor-elect Ted Gatsas, who actually rode city busses as part of his campaign for mayor and was endorsed by Amalgamated Transit Union Local 717, which represents MTA drivers, mechanics and utility personnel.

But something tells me come city budget time in June, funding for public transportation in Manchester, NH, will remain uncertain, as it was this past June, when the threat of massive rate hikes prompted bus advocates (including yours truly) and riders to clamor for adequate funding - a spectacle that occurs whenever funding is threatened. But once a budget passes, and the threat is allayed for another year, supporters of public transportation in Manchester, NH, seem to disappear almost as quickly as they appear.

And this is part of the problem, because without continual pressure to adequately maintain (or, God forbid, improve) the MTA, decision makers have shown themselves to be all too willing to ignore the state of the city's bus service once budget season has passed.

What’s needed is a riders-based organization that can keep the issue (the necessity of a good public transportation system) at the forefront. What's needed is a bus riders union. As the name suggests, a bus riders union would allow MTA passengers (and supporters) a vehicle through which to organize in favor of better funding, routes, schedules and more. Bus riders unions exist, among other places, in Boston, Los Angeles and Austin, Tex. Why not Manchester, NH?

A community organizer by trade, I've given some thought to how this might be accomplished and have even gone so far as to have sketched out an organizational plan and would love to help organize a bus riders union in Manchester, NH. However, I do think it is imperative for riders themselves to take leadership and ownership of the process and the resulting organization.

Anyone else interested in helping out? If so, leave a message below or contact me via the contact page.

An  organizer by trade, I would love to help organize a riders' union, though for such an organization to be successful in the long run, riders must take leadership and ownership.

Rider or no, the MTA is a must have

Manchester’s bus system is a joke. The routes are erratic, the stops are poorly signed, transfers can be difficult and there are too few bus shelters like this one:

And unless you work a straight 9-5 job, you can’t count on taking the bus to and from work as service stops at 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, at 5 p.m. on Saturday and doesn’t exist at all on Sunday.

I didn’t think things could get much worse, but they’re about to.

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