Why does CU operate The Bus? Also...FREE RIDES!

WEBVTT
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:10.470
Beep, beep. Welcome back to a brand new episode
00:00:10.470 --> 00:00:13.230
of That's Shocking, a City Utilities podcast.
00:00:13.330 --> 00:00:15.669
I'm one of your hosts, Daniel. The wheels on
00:00:15.669 --> 00:00:18.190
the bus. This is Cara. Go round and... Oh, I
00:00:18.190 --> 00:00:20.710
thought we were singing. No, I didn't want to
00:00:20.710 --> 00:00:22.710
go too far with that. Otherwise, we'll lose listeners.
00:00:22.989 --> 00:00:25.789
Oh, well, if I start singing, then yeah. But
00:00:25.789 --> 00:00:27.789
that's one of those that I just wanted to hit
00:00:27.789 --> 00:00:30.789
a little sound effect, naturally created sound
00:00:30.789 --> 00:00:35.689
effect. Love it. Was it good? No. It was fine.
00:00:35.829 --> 00:00:39.600
It was fine. If we were like the swimming judges
00:00:39.600 --> 00:00:41.399
and they were holding up the signs. Like a 3
00:00:41.399 --> 00:00:45.820
.5, maybe a 4. That's good for me. I was shooting
00:00:45.820 --> 00:00:48.979
for that. So, mission accomplished. So, the reason
00:00:48.979 --> 00:00:51.479
why I did that is that here today we're going
00:00:51.479 --> 00:00:54.979
to be talking about transit on the podcast. Quote,
00:00:54.979 --> 00:00:58.119
unquote, the bus. The bus. As it's known in Springfield,
00:00:58.140 --> 00:01:01.119
Mo. It's true. Yeah. So we're excited to bring
00:01:01.119 --> 00:01:03.159
this episode because we've been talking about
00:01:03.159 --> 00:01:05.079
all the services that City Utilities provides
00:01:05.079 --> 00:01:07.219
to our community. We've already talked about
00:01:07.219 --> 00:01:09.760
natural gas, electric, water. A couple of weeks
00:01:09.760 --> 00:01:12.120
ago, we had Jeff Bertholdy with SpringNet here
00:01:12.120 --> 00:01:15.040
that brings business internet to our community.
00:01:15.280 --> 00:01:18.799
And last but certainly not least, we have Matt
00:01:18.799 --> 00:01:20.620
Crawford here, who's the director of transit,
00:01:20.819 --> 00:01:24.480
who runs the bus system, the public transportation
00:01:24.480 --> 00:01:27.569
system in Springfield. And who knew? That City
00:01:27.569 --> 00:01:30.209
Utilities runs Springfield's transit system.
00:01:30.349 --> 00:01:33.329
We got to talk to them about that because it's
00:01:33.329 --> 00:01:35.730
another way that City Utilities is continuing
00:01:35.730 --> 00:01:39.650
to connect our community. And we're doing this
00:01:39.650 --> 00:01:42.069
at a very special time as well. That's right.
00:01:42.290 --> 00:01:46.010
Because in honor of Transit Appreciation Week,
00:01:46.069 --> 00:01:49.030
which is happening next week, the last full week
00:01:49.030 --> 00:01:51.799
of June, there's a lot going on. Yeah, there
00:01:51.799 --> 00:01:54.239
is. It's a pretty exciting week. So I'll run
00:01:54.239 --> 00:01:56.120
through this now, and then we'll probably talk
00:01:56.120 --> 00:01:58.019
a little bit more about it later. But just so
00:01:58.019 --> 00:02:00.099
that you can mark your calendars, Monday is going
00:02:00.099 --> 00:02:02.019
to be Customer Appreciation Day with lots of
00:02:02.019 --> 00:02:04.359
free giveaways at the Transit Center. Tuesday
00:02:04.359 --> 00:02:07.840
is Transit Dispatch Appreciation Day, where we
00:02:07.840 --> 00:02:10.379
appreciate the people who help keep the routes
00:02:10.379 --> 00:02:13.259
going, which is super important. Thursday is
00:02:13.259 --> 00:02:16.199
Dump the Pump Day, free rides for all. My favorite
00:02:16.199 --> 00:02:18.740
day. It's a great opportunity to get to know
00:02:18.740 --> 00:02:20.659
our transit system and try it and see how it
00:02:20.659 --> 00:02:21.990
goes. great it is well again we'll talk more
00:02:21.990 --> 00:02:24.349
about that yeah and then finally friday is driver
00:02:24.349 --> 00:02:26.250
appreciation day and i know we have a lot of
00:02:26.250 --> 00:02:29.050
appreciation uh to show for our drivers and i
00:02:29.050 --> 00:02:31.030
know matt will do that for us as well and he's
00:02:31.030 --> 00:02:33.830
with us now matt thanks for joining us today
00:02:33.830 --> 00:02:35.889
thanks for having me i appreciate being here
00:02:35.889 --> 00:02:38.169
how's that for an intro getting right off the
00:02:38.169 --> 00:02:40.550
start to the transit appreciation week details
00:02:40.550 --> 00:02:43.430
got people's calendars pulled out so we're ready
00:02:43.430 --> 00:02:46.530
to go that's Great. I mean, I haven't had a better
00:02:46.530 --> 00:02:49.830
intro that I can think of. So last time or last
00:02:49.830 --> 00:02:51.830
episode, we asked Jeff, we talked a little bit
00:02:51.830 --> 00:02:54.389
about his most commonly asked question. You also
00:02:54.389 --> 00:02:57.550
have by far the most commonly asked question
00:02:57.550 --> 00:03:02.949
to you is. Why is a utility running the bus system?
00:03:03.129 --> 00:03:05.659
All right. What's the answer? The answer is because
00:03:05.659 --> 00:03:07.580
that's what the city wanted when they set up
00:03:07.580 --> 00:03:12.740
city utilities. It goes back to the trolley days
00:03:12.740 --> 00:03:17.219
when we had catenary cables that ran streetcars.
00:03:17.539 --> 00:03:20.500
And in order to do that, the streetcar company
00:03:20.500 --> 00:03:23.599
had their own power generation set up. And so
00:03:23.599 --> 00:03:28.300
that was a natural fit. And then when the city
00:03:28.300 --> 00:03:32.550
put together city utilities. It was just a natural
00:03:32.550 --> 00:03:35.229
fit. They put it in the charter, and here we
00:03:35.229 --> 00:03:38.629
are, what, 80 years later? And doing a great
00:03:38.629 --> 00:03:42.129
job with it. I like to think so. I think the
00:03:42.129 --> 00:03:44.129
people that we work with do a great job providing
00:03:44.129 --> 00:03:46.389
the service. And incidentally, we think, we're
00:03:46.389 --> 00:03:48.789
not sure, but we think we're the only utility
00:03:48.789 --> 00:03:53.039
that runs the transit system. We think so. I'm
00:03:53.039 --> 00:03:54.960
wanting our listeners, if there's anyone out
00:03:54.960 --> 00:03:56.780
there who knows of another utility that runs
00:03:56.780 --> 00:03:59.159
the transit system, let us know because we kind
00:03:59.159 --> 00:04:02.520
of tout that and prove us wrong. But it's interesting
00:04:02.520 --> 00:04:04.479
if we are, for sure. We're definitely the only
00:04:04.479 --> 00:04:07.449
one that does electric gas water. telecommunications
00:04:07.449 --> 00:04:10.189
or spring net and transit. Yeah, that's great.
00:04:10.270 --> 00:04:12.610
With transit appreciation week, there are a lot
00:04:12.610 --> 00:04:16.310
of things going on. So in addition to that, and
00:04:16.310 --> 00:04:18.329
you may want to go into detail about that too,
00:04:18.410 --> 00:04:21.490
Matt, but what other things does the bus offer
00:04:21.490 --> 00:04:25.370
that our community may not know about? One of
00:04:25.370 --> 00:04:27.870
the things that I'm really proud of, and I think
00:04:27.870 --> 00:04:31.050
I can trace the beginnings of it back to the
00:04:31.050 --> 00:04:35.410
ice storm, 2007 ice storm, is we provide free
00:04:35.410 --> 00:04:38.689
rides to the homeless community in a crisis cold
00:04:38.689 --> 00:04:41.870
weather sheltering season. So we do that any
00:04:41.870 --> 00:04:43.670
night. The shelters are open between November
00:04:43.670 --> 00:04:47.129
1st and March 31st every winter. And we provide
00:04:47.129 --> 00:04:51.629
a ride from a location to a gathering location
00:04:51.629 --> 00:04:54.649
to a sheltering location. And we return ride
00:04:54.649 --> 00:04:57.149
the next day. Super proud of that. But then we're
00:04:57.149 --> 00:05:00.310
involved in a lot of community events like Big
00:05:00.310 --> 00:05:06.040
Rig Night. What's that exactly? Just big rigs
00:05:06.040 --> 00:05:09.300
from all different industries. Some of our bucket
00:05:09.300 --> 00:05:12.620
trucks go out there. There'll be trash trucks,
00:05:12.879 --> 00:05:18.139
school buses, police cars, and a bunch of large
00:05:18.139 --> 00:05:21.459
vehicles from across the city that show up at
00:05:21.459 --> 00:05:25.019
the Battlefield Mall parking lot. People get
00:05:25.019 --> 00:05:31.379
to sit in the bus seat, honk the horn, those
00:05:31.379 --> 00:05:34.720
kinds of things, and become familiar with. With
00:05:34.720 --> 00:05:36.579
the bus. I know I'm putting you on the spot here.
00:05:36.620 --> 00:05:39.680
What day is that? It's in the summer. It's always
00:05:39.680 --> 00:05:41.459
the hottest day of the year. Whatever the hottest
00:05:41.459 --> 00:05:43.079
day of the year is, that's when it is. It's in
00:05:43.079 --> 00:05:47.899
July this year, I believe. So the bread and butter,
00:05:47.939 --> 00:05:51.759
of course, is your fixed routes. But I also feel
00:05:51.759 --> 00:05:55.019
like maybe the bus system is a little underappreciated.
00:05:55.019 --> 00:05:59.379
Can you talk a little bit about... Make us appreciate
00:05:59.379 --> 00:06:02.160
you. I mean, what is it that the bus brings to
00:06:02.160 --> 00:06:04.000
the community that people are missing out on
00:06:04.000 --> 00:06:08.040
who aren't riding it? Well, I think it's really
00:06:08.040 --> 00:06:10.819
a question of what do people value? And if you
00:06:10.819 --> 00:06:13.959
ride the bus, there's a sense of community in
00:06:13.959 --> 00:06:18.740
the bus system. And the people... on the bus.
00:06:18.819 --> 00:06:21.519
The passengers, our bus operators, our staff,
00:06:21.680 --> 00:06:23.779
they care so much for one another and they care
00:06:23.779 --> 00:06:26.519
for the community. And it's really just this
00:06:26.519 --> 00:06:29.839
great sense. People take great pride in the service
00:06:29.839 --> 00:06:33.370
that we provide. It's a means for them to do
00:06:33.370 --> 00:06:35.389
the things that they need to do in their lives
00:06:35.389 --> 00:06:37.509
that could be more difficult without transportation.
00:06:38.089 --> 00:06:41.810
So that community is great. It's a less stressful
00:06:41.810 --> 00:06:44.810
commute. If you're going to work or school, you
00:06:44.810 --> 00:06:47.230
get a chance to maybe spend some time on your
00:06:47.230 --> 00:06:50.689
phone or take a little break from that. And it's
00:06:50.689 --> 00:06:54.689
affordable. It's only a dollar if you're just
00:06:54.689 --> 00:06:57.009
paying for that one trip right now and 25 cents
00:06:57.009 --> 00:07:00.199
for it. As a matter of fact, a year and a half
00:07:00.199 --> 00:07:03.439
ago, when all costs were going up everywhere,
00:07:03.720 --> 00:07:07.420
we lowered our fares in response to the ConnectSGF
00:07:07.420 --> 00:07:09.300
study. It's like the only thing in America that's
00:07:09.300 --> 00:07:12.879
lower than it was. And it was already low, I
00:07:12.879 --> 00:07:16.279
think. So it was great. And then I asked a couple
00:07:16.279 --> 00:07:20.259
of our drivers today about what they think. And
00:07:20.259 --> 00:07:22.699
it's also a great opportunity for people to socialize.
00:07:22.759 --> 00:07:24.660
We have a lot of people in our community that
00:07:24.660 --> 00:07:28.560
might be a little bit lonely. They get a chance
00:07:28.560 --> 00:07:30.139
to socialize when they're on the bus. Again,
00:07:30.259 --> 00:07:32.339
part of that sense of community. The drivers
00:07:32.339 --> 00:07:35.800
are incredible. There's a lot that can be said
00:07:35.800 --> 00:07:39.139
about them being warm, welcoming, and truly the
00:07:39.139 --> 00:07:41.500
ones, and no pun intended, but I guess I'll go
00:07:41.500 --> 00:07:43.839
there, driving the community in that way. So,
00:07:43.839 --> 00:07:45.740
Carrie, you knew I couldn't help myself. I love
00:07:45.740 --> 00:07:48.939
it. Now, what about any misconceptions that may
00:07:48.939 --> 00:07:52.220
be had about our transit system? A lot of people
00:07:52.220 --> 00:07:55.579
believe that the buses just aren't clean. And
00:07:55.579 --> 00:07:57.459
I can tell you that's a... Furthest thing from
00:07:57.459 --> 00:08:00.839
the truth. We're several years removed from COVID,
00:08:00.920 --> 00:08:03.279
but during COVID, we were actually testing our
00:08:03.279 --> 00:08:07.800
buses with special kits to measure the amount
00:08:07.800 --> 00:08:11.459
of living material on any of the surfaces, and
00:08:11.459 --> 00:08:15.019
we were measuring at a more clean or more sterile
00:08:15.019 --> 00:08:20.180
rate than is expected of restaurants or hospitals.
00:08:20.639 --> 00:08:24.000
We were doing a great job of cleaning, and it's
00:08:24.000 --> 00:08:27.269
the same. It was the same then as it was before,
00:08:27.470 --> 00:08:30.009
and we clean the buses the same way now. Our
00:08:30.009 --> 00:08:33.370
buses are safe. I tell people all the time that
00:08:33.370 --> 00:08:36.929
the bus is the safest place to be in town, especially
00:08:36.929 --> 00:08:38.409
if there's going to be an accident or some kind
00:08:38.409 --> 00:08:43.490
of event. We can point to a lot of situations
00:08:43.490 --> 00:08:47.009
where we've had weather events or we've been
00:08:47.009 --> 00:08:51.269
involved in an accident. Most typically, they...
00:08:51.690 --> 00:08:54.529
We're hit in those cases. And people come out
00:08:54.529 --> 00:08:58.950
of those situations very safe. And then a lot
00:08:58.950 --> 00:09:01.169
of people believe it's very hard to use. If you
00:09:01.169 --> 00:09:03.370
just try it once, you'll figure out it's pretty
00:09:03.370 --> 00:09:06.129
easy to use a bus. Yeah, and Dump the Pump Day
00:09:06.129 --> 00:09:08.830
is the perfect time to do that. It's going to
00:09:08.830 --> 00:09:12.429
be free rides for everyone. Just try it because
00:09:12.429 --> 00:09:15.850
once you get on there, you're just going to use
00:09:15.850 --> 00:09:18.850
it as frequently as you can. So definitely give
00:09:18.850 --> 00:09:25.470
it a try. Absolutely. Speaking of Transit Appreciation
00:09:25.470 --> 00:09:27.929
Week, now's the perfect time to try out the bus.
00:09:28.190 --> 00:09:30.389
Whether it's Dump the Pump Day on Thursday, June
00:09:30.389 --> 00:09:33.029
25th, where you can ride for free or another
00:09:33.029 --> 00:09:35.549
time, map out any route and the best one for
00:09:35.549 --> 00:09:38.789
you whenever you want or need a ride by downloading
00:09:38.789 --> 00:09:42.090
the free MyRideSGF app. Don't miss out on this
00:09:42.090 --> 00:09:44.529
inexpensive way to commute across our community.
00:09:44.870 --> 00:09:47.429
Now, all aboard! Let's return to the podcast.
00:09:48.879 --> 00:09:52.279
What kind of sort of facts can you spout off
00:09:52.279 --> 00:09:55.480
to us in terms of number of routes, number of
00:09:55.480 --> 00:09:59.039
stops, number of miles, number of days, anything
00:09:59.039 --> 00:10:01.240
that you can give us to sort of so people understand
00:10:01.240 --> 00:10:04.970
the breadth of the system? So we're okay to speak
00:10:04.970 --> 00:10:07.169
in kind of general numbers, right? I don't have
00:10:07.169 --> 00:10:10.110
to get into the exact. So we have roughly 700
00:10:10.110 --> 00:10:14.830
stops and we probably have about 170 bus benches
00:10:14.830 --> 00:10:19.929
and around 90 shelters. We own 27 fixed route
00:10:19.929 --> 00:10:23.230
buses, six paratransit buses, two minivans. We
00:10:23.230 --> 00:10:27.389
run 14 routes, four of those on Sundays, 10 of
00:10:27.389 --> 00:10:30.750
those on Monday through Saturday. We run 18 buses
00:10:30.750 --> 00:10:33.299
at peak. We run 1 .2 million miles. year, and
00:10:33.299 --> 00:10:36.240
we run about 1 .2 million passengers a year.
00:10:36.419 --> 00:10:38.879
And you mentioned paratransit, so I was going
00:10:38.879 --> 00:10:41.220
to write a note to ask about that. That's Access
00:10:41.220 --> 00:10:43.320
Express. Can you tell us about that? Access Express
00:10:43.320 --> 00:10:46.190
is a complimentary... Paratransit service is
00:10:46.190 --> 00:10:50.009
required by the ADA law. And that means, and
00:10:50.009 --> 00:10:52.230
I have to explain to people, complimentary means
00:10:52.230 --> 00:10:54.649
it compliments, like my wife compliments me,
00:10:54.669 --> 00:10:59.929
not Matt, you look nice, but she's really great
00:10:59.929 --> 00:11:02.889
at all the things I'm not great at. And that's
00:11:02.889 --> 00:11:06.730
most things. But yeah, it compliments the fixed
00:11:06.730 --> 00:11:09.309
route system where people who have disabilities
00:11:09.309 --> 00:11:12.509
may not be able to access the fixed route system.
00:11:13.440 --> 00:11:16.240
as they would desire. And so that's, it's a qualified
00:11:16.240 --> 00:11:19.139
application process that requires a doctor's
00:11:19.139 --> 00:11:22.320
signature on it, but it allows people the freedom
00:11:22.320 --> 00:11:26.919
and mobility that anybody has. Now kind of piggybacking
00:11:26.919 --> 00:11:31.139
off of that is that you can bring a service dog
00:11:31.139 --> 00:11:33.360
on board. Is that right? You can bring a service
00:11:33.360 --> 00:11:38.159
animal on board. Okay. Now with that, My follow
00:11:38.159 --> 00:11:41.440
-up question is, what is the wildest service
00:11:41.440 --> 00:11:43.960
animal that you have heard has been brought on
00:11:43.960 --> 00:11:51.039
board? On our buses, we've had a snake wrapped
00:11:51.039 --> 00:11:53.840
around somebody's arm. Now, when it comes to
00:11:53.840 --> 00:11:55.840
a service animal, and I'm going to be clear about
00:11:55.840 --> 00:11:58.399
a service animal, we have different rules that
00:11:58.399 --> 00:12:02.460
apply to us than airlines. So we're allowed to
00:12:02.460 --> 00:12:05.139
ask, is that a service animal? And what task
00:12:05.139 --> 00:12:07.860
is it trained to perform? Those are the only
00:12:07.860 --> 00:12:09.879
two questions we can ask. Wrap around my arm.
00:12:10.059 --> 00:12:13.320
It is wrapped around your arm. So when asked,
00:12:13.559 --> 00:12:16.539
the person said it squeezes my arm when my blood
00:12:16.539 --> 00:12:20.740
sugar drops. Oh, fascinating. So there's no way
00:12:20.740 --> 00:12:23.159
for us. We don't ask. We're not allowed to. We
00:12:23.159 --> 00:12:25.440
really aren't trained to be able to determine
00:12:25.440 --> 00:12:29.139
whether or not that's true. But that is the...
00:12:32.569 --> 00:12:34.909
craziest one that we've seen in terms of that
00:12:34.909 --> 00:12:38.789
just not expected totally totally believable
00:12:38.789 --> 00:12:43.250
um so so what i'm hearing is that um I can bring
00:12:43.250 --> 00:12:45.809
a squirrel on board as a service animal. So that's
00:12:45.809 --> 00:12:47.970
cool. As long as you can answer the second question,
00:12:48.090 --> 00:12:49.710
what task is it trained to perform? Well, I was
00:12:49.710 --> 00:12:52.409
going to say, chewing through wires, does that
00:12:52.409 --> 00:12:55.490
count as a task? That's a task. Just not one
00:12:55.490 --> 00:12:57.769
I think is going to. Not the right one. Okay,
00:12:57.870 --> 00:12:59.970
that's fair. With the driver of the year, bus
00:12:59.970 --> 00:13:02.690
driver of the year, that was kind of my introduction
00:13:02.690 --> 00:13:04.830
with hearing an inspiring story. But I'm sure
00:13:04.830 --> 00:13:07.649
that you hear a lot, Matt. Can you share a story
00:13:07.649 --> 00:13:10.710
or two that has been inspiring about your drivers
00:13:10.710 --> 00:13:12.840
going above and beyond? I can talk about a lot
00:13:12.840 --> 00:13:16.059
of drivers in two events. Last year, we had the
00:13:16.059 --> 00:13:18.539
straight line events, straight line wind events
00:13:18.539 --> 00:13:22.299
in April 29th. And then again in June 29th. And
00:13:22.299 --> 00:13:25.360
during those times, we sought cover. These are
00:13:25.360 --> 00:13:30.179
tornado drills that we run every year. And we
00:13:30.179 --> 00:13:34.899
had run our tornado drills in March of last year.
00:13:35.200 --> 00:13:38.659
And then around April, we were actually taking
00:13:38.659 --> 00:13:41.240
cover. Everybody that was on the bus was safe.
00:13:41.710 --> 00:13:44.669
Both times. We had a hail storm April 28th this
00:13:44.669 --> 00:13:47.070
year. So on April 28th, when the hail storm hit,
00:13:47.129 --> 00:13:49.470
we put an all -call out for our drivers to stop
00:13:49.470 --> 00:13:54.169
on route. Most of the drivers did that. And the
00:13:54.169 --> 00:13:58.210
buses stood in there, and they took a lot of
00:13:58.210 --> 00:14:02.190
hits. But nobody was injured. Two buses took
00:14:02.190 --> 00:14:05.629
minor damage in all of that. They took minor
00:14:05.629 --> 00:14:09.710
damage. We had an emergency exit break, and we
00:14:09.710 --> 00:14:12.850
had a small. a small water leak in one of the
00:14:12.850 --> 00:14:15.549
buses in the roof, but a couple of the buses
00:14:15.549 --> 00:14:19.389
didn't hear the call and a couple of our drivers
00:14:19.389 --> 00:14:22.730
kept going and they kept picking up people that
00:14:22.730 --> 00:14:24.889
were standing in the hail. That's incredible.
00:14:25.269 --> 00:14:28.029
Yeah. And I love, you know, you're clearly moved
00:14:28.029 --> 00:14:31.029
by the work that you do. Um, and, and I wish
00:14:31.029 --> 00:14:34.200
that. our listeners could see that. Um, and I
00:14:34.200 --> 00:14:36.460
wish that everyone in Springfield would see it
00:14:36.460 --> 00:14:39.120
too. Um, because it is, it's incredible the work
00:14:39.120 --> 00:14:42.019
that you do and your drivers do. And so thank
00:14:42.019 --> 00:14:43.879
you. Yeah. Well, thank you. I appreciate that.
00:14:43.919 --> 00:14:46.460
And I apologize. I do. I, I, every time I think
00:14:46.460 --> 00:14:49.379
about the good work that drivers do, I get choked
00:14:49.379 --> 00:14:53.120
up about it. It's, it's great story to tell.
00:14:53.519 --> 00:14:56.840
If you would indulge me for one more, um, re
00:14:56.840 --> 00:15:00.179
we, uh, recently found out that one of our drivers
00:15:00.179 --> 00:15:03.149
has basically turned her locker into a community
00:15:03.149 --> 00:15:09.809
supply. And she is, she's got hats and mittens
00:15:09.809 --> 00:15:13.730
and shoes. And so if somebody gets on the bus
00:15:13.730 --> 00:15:15.990
at a hospital that just left the hospital, you
00:15:15.990 --> 00:15:18.309
have to have shoes to ride the bus. If they're
00:15:18.309 --> 00:15:21.409
coming out in those sock feet from the, they
00:15:21.409 --> 00:15:26.129
sometimes we. We'll let them ride, but as soon
00:15:26.129 --> 00:15:27.669
as they get on the bus, we'll call and say, hey,
00:15:27.669 --> 00:15:29.309
can somebody send out a pair of shoes from my
00:15:29.309 --> 00:15:31.909
locker or from the locker? Everybody gets out
00:15:31.909 --> 00:15:36.409
of it. And so our drivers are resourcing. They're
00:15:36.409 --> 00:15:39.610
supplying that locker so that we can reach out
00:15:39.610 --> 00:15:43.149
and help people in those moments. That's incredible.
00:15:43.730 --> 00:15:46.210
And just had a conversation with some of our
00:15:46.210 --> 00:15:49.110
friends at Crosslines, and they are going to
00:15:49.110 --> 00:15:52.210
step up and help supply some resources for that
00:15:52.210 --> 00:15:54.129
as well. That's awesome. Well, thank you for
00:15:54.129 --> 00:15:55.730
sharing those stories. That's great. Thank you.
00:15:56.669 --> 00:16:00.350
On a lighter note and probably the most important
00:16:00.350 --> 00:16:03.610
question of all, we're going to end with before
00:16:03.610 --> 00:16:10.190
shifting gears here, root or route? Roots. It's
00:16:10.190 --> 00:16:14.850
root 66, but it's route two in my book. Okay,
00:16:14.990 --> 00:16:19.190
so he deflects. It's both. So that brings us
00:16:19.190 --> 00:16:26.200
talking about roots or routes or both. We're
00:16:26.200 --> 00:16:28.960
going to play a little game of recalculating.
00:16:29.139 --> 00:16:32.299
So, Matt, this is where we're going to give you
00:16:32.299 --> 00:16:35.980
four different routes. And then we're going to
00:16:35.980 --> 00:16:38.580
ask if you could give us the correct directions
00:16:38.580 --> 00:16:42.259
and the bus lines that we would need to take
00:16:42.259 --> 00:16:46.500
to accomplish this. So we're going to test your
00:16:46.500 --> 00:16:50.200
knowledge of the bus system as well as Springfield's
00:16:50.200 --> 00:16:54.740
grid. We expect you to get them all correct,
00:16:54.919 --> 00:16:59.179
but we'll see. So to aid me in this task, you
00:16:59.179 --> 00:17:03.460
don't get this tool, but I get the benefit of
00:17:03.460 --> 00:17:06.720
using the fabulous Plan My Ride tool that's available
00:17:06.720 --> 00:17:11.039
at cityutilities .net on the transit page. And
00:17:11.039 --> 00:17:13.579
it's also an app. That's right. It is an app.
00:17:13.700 --> 00:17:18.559
So go to the Play Store or the Apple Store and
00:17:18.559 --> 00:17:21.240
get the app. It's a great one. I'm going to use
00:17:21.240 --> 00:17:22.740
it. We're going to see how fast it works. And
00:17:22.740 --> 00:17:23.940
I think it's probably going to work faster than
00:17:23.940 --> 00:17:27.700
you, but we'll just have to see. We'll figure
00:17:27.700 --> 00:17:30.660
it out. Okay. Are you ready for this? I think
00:17:30.660 --> 00:17:36.339
so. Okay. Yeah. You're going to give me the origination
00:17:36.339 --> 00:17:38.079
and destination points, and we're going to see
00:17:38.079 --> 00:17:41.880
who can get us there. So first you have to give
00:17:41.880 --> 00:17:44.140
me directions, how to get there, fastest way.
00:17:44.380 --> 00:17:47.019
And then as a bonus, you'll tell me the routes.
00:17:47.980 --> 00:17:50.660
The first one up, we're starting at the Battlefield
00:17:50.660 --> 00:17:53.680
Mall. Great. Just finished shopping, and we're
00:17:53.680 --> 00:17:55.720
going to head downtown to the College Station
00:17:55.720 --> 00:17:58.599
Theaters to watch a movie after. How do we get
00:17:58.599 --> 00:18:00.880
there, and which line do we take? Well, we're
00:18:00.880 --> 00:18:02.960
going to take the line five on the southbound
00:18:02.960 --> 00:18:06.099
side. We're going to go north on line five on
00:18:06.099 --> 00:18:09.599
Glenstone, and it's going to go across St. Louis.
00:18:09.839 --> 00:18:12.960
And honestly, I would probably get off and walk
00:18:12.960 --> 00:18:15.980
up the hill from the transit center, but it's
00:18:15.980 --> 00:18:17.819
probably going to tell you to catch the line
00:18:17.819 --> 00:18:21.410
six and get off on Market. Okay. Well, you officially
00:18:21.410 --> 00:18:24.609
beat me in typing. So great job. And you were
00:18:24.609 --> 00:18:28.089
right. It is line five. So good job. And it also
00:18:28.089 --> 00:18:29.990
has the little, it has options. So that's what's
00:18:29.990 --> 00:18:33.089
cool too is apparently you can take the line
00:18:33.089 --> 00:18:35.109
five. You can also, there's a seven here somewhere,
00:18:35.190 --> 00:18:38.309
a 12. You've got choices. You have to walk a
00:18:38.309 --> 00:18:40.529
long ways to get to the seven. Okay. Well, the
00:18:40.529 --> 00:18:45.910
point is we have options. Number two. We just
00:18:45.910 --> 00:18:48.410
finished with a nice little stroll at Nathaniel
00:18:48.410 --> 00:18:51.450
Green Park. And we want to go for another stroll.
00:18:51.589 --> 00:18:54.150
So let's go to Galloway Village. Nathaniel Green
00:18:54.150 --> 00:18:58.289
Park. Are we talking South Scenic? Yeah. Yeah.
00:18:58.609 --> 00:19:01.450
So you just walked out of the park. So I'm going
00:19:01.450 --> 00:19:03.069
to go. I'm going to walk south. I'm going to
00:19:03.069 --> 00:19:05.950
get on Battlefield and go to the Line 9. I'm
00:19:05.950 --> 00:19:07.930
going to ride it all the way in and back out
00:19:07.930 --> 00:19:10.309
to Chesterfield Village. I don't know if I give
00:19:10.309 --> 00:19:13.130
him that or not. You got the Line 9 right, but
00:19:13.130 --> 00:19:16.019
this is saying something about a 5. Oh. Regardless,
00:19:16.079 --> 00:19:17.579
you got the line nine right. You're correct.
00:19:19.279 --> 00:19:22.240
We just finished swimming at Grant Beach Pool.
00:19:23.359 --> 00:19:28.019
And we're feeling like cooling off with Andes
00:19:28.019 --> 00:19:30.859
on South Campbell. So we're going to take. Line
00:19:30.859 --> 00:19:34.000
14 inbound on Grant to you're going to transfer
00:19:34.000 --> 00:19:36.579
to line seven southbound on Campbell. You can
00:19:36.579 --> 00:19:38.599
choose to cross the street on Campbell at sunset
00:19:38.599 --> 00:19:41.339
and walk back up, or you can either ride it all
00:19:41.339 --> 00:19:43.160
the way out and catch it on the inbound trip.
00:19:43.319 --> 00:19:45.559
Oh, good job. You beat me. That was really good.
00:19:45.680 --> 00:19:48.039
I can even finish asking. I was going to just
00:19:48.039 --> 00:19:50.539
add. She was already typing. I know. I was going
00:19:50.539 --> 00:19:52.220
to say, like, at this point, we don't need the
00:19:52.220 --> 00:19:54.519
app. We just need Matt in our pocket. I know.
00:19:55.039 --> 00:19:59.039
If we can get like your voice on that when we
00:19:59.039 --> 00:20:01.940
enter directions. I used to be the voice on the
00:20:01.940 --> 00:20:04.940
bus before we got a new system. Okay. Approaching.
00:20:04.940 --> 00:20:07.920
Well, they saw ridership start to decline, so
00:20:07.920 --> 00:20:11.019
they decided to get a new voice. Pretty much.
00:20:12.009 --> 00:20:14.529
All right, I have one left. Final one. I have
00:20:14.529 --> 00:20:17.630
to type really fast. We've got Bass Pro. We're
00:20:17.630 --> 00:20:19.910
like, you know what? I just went looking for
00:20:19.910 --> 00:20:22.410
some golf clubs there, and I want to go to Horton
00:20:22.410 --> 00:20:26.589
Smith Golf Course. Line 7 to the line 2. Oh,
00:20:26.589 --> 00:20:30.769
man. I didn't even finish typing yet. So Bass
00:20:30.769 --> 00:20:32.769
Pro, you're going to catch it on the other side
00:20:32.769 --> 00:20:35.609
of Campbell inbound, and you're going to transfer
00:20:35.609 --> 00:20:39.230
to the line 2 and ride it out to the Walmart.
00:20:40.140 --> 00:20:42.480
As we know it in the North town mall, Walmart,
00:20:42.559 --> 00:20:44.940
and then we're going to go just beyond that.
00:20:44.980 --> 00:20:47.819
It'll go out North of I -44 for a second. Okay.
00:20:47.859 --> 00:20:50.240
Well, good job, Matt. You know your stuff. Yeah.
00:20:50.400 --> 00:20:55.059
That's a little horn sound for that. That was,
00:20:55.059 --> 00:20:57.920
uh, that was incredible because that was nerdometer.
00:20:58.539 --> 00:21:01.980
No, no, no. That's just pure knowledge. Just
00:21:01.980 --> 00:21:04.829
skill. That's right. Well, thank you so much
00:21:04.829 --> 00:21:06.430
for being here. We appreciate you sharing your
00:21:06.430 --> 00:21:09.130
stories. And we've said it once, said it twice.
00:21:09.210 --> 00:21:11.049
We'll say it a third time. Don't forget to help
00:21:11.049 --> 00:21:14.910
us celebrate Transit Appreciation Week with events
00:21:14.910 --> 00:21:17.690
throughout the week, including Monday being Customer
00:21:17.690 --> 00:21:19.630
Appreciation Week with free giveaways. Tuesday,
00:21:19.950 --> 00:21:22.130
Transit Dispatch Appreciation Day. Thursday,
00:21:23.250 --> 00:21:26.190
Dump the Pump Day with free rides all day long.
00:21:26.269 --> 00:21:28.630
And then finally, Friday is Driver Appreciation
00:21:28.630 --> 00:21:30.769
Day. So we hope you'll join us. Thank you again,
00:21:30.849 --> 00:21:33.369
Matt. Thank you. Thank you, Matt. And thank you
00:21:33.369 --> 00:21:36.549
to our listeners as well. You can catch new episodes
00:21:36.549 --> 00:21:39.789
of That Shocking Podcast, a City Utilities podcast,
00:21:40.009 --> 00:21:43.410
every first and third Wednesday dropping of the
00:21:43.410 --> 00:21:46.349
month. They're available on any platform of your
00:21:46.349 --> 00:21:48.650
choice for podcasts. And then, of course, you
00:21:48.650 --> 00:21:51.809
can also follow us on socials, Facebook, X, Instagram.
00:21:52.049 --> 00:21:54.329
And TikTok actually has two channels we want
00:21:54.329 --> 00:21:55.849
you to follow. The first, of course, is City
00:21:55.849 --> 00:21:58.170
Utilities. And the second is the TikTok page
00:21:58.170 --> 00:22:00.589
dedicated to our podcast. It's called That's
00:22:00.589 --> 00:22:03.880
Shocking. So give us a follow on the TikTok.
00:22:04.339 --> 00:22:08.319
Featuring ultra egos of ours. That's right. Where
00:22:08.319 --> 00:22:11.079
we're squirrels. Basically trying to sneak onto
00:22:11.079 --> 00:22:15.059
buses. That's right. And you can also ask us
00:22:15.059 --> 00:22:17.720
questions by sending us an email to social at
00:22:17.720 --> 00:22:20.759
cityutilities .net. All right. Well, thanks for
00:22:20.759 --> 00:22:22.700
joining us. We've got to go off the grid for
00:22:22.700 --> 00:22:24.500
now, but thanks for plugging in and allowing
00:22:24.500 --> 00:22:27.460
us to brighten up your day. Stay energized, Springfield.