2011-08-28 00:36:13.694714+02 by Dan Lyke 4 comments
I wish transit users' interests were aligned with those of transit customers: just spent most of the day gathering pictures and information to make a better guide to Golden Gate Transit route 22 for Charlene's students.
[ related topics: Photography Bay Area Douglas Adams Public Transportation ]
comments in ascending chronological order (reverse):
#Comment Re: made: 2011-08-28 23:19:00.676303+02 by: Nancy
I don't understand - what is the difference between "users" and "customers"?
#Comment Re: made: 2011-08-29 00:36:19.813369+02 by: ebwolf
I'm betting Dan is casting "taxpayers" as "customers" and "riders" as "users". One of the failings I've seen as a regular transit user is that the service is managed with the "customer" in mind, not the "user". And little effort is really made to ensure that the service fits the needs of the "customers" or the "users".
For instance, a couple summers ago, when gas prices spiked and ridership increased, the Denver Regional Transportation District was planning service. The goal was to manage costs (reduce fuel usage) rather than improve or even maintain service levels.
#Comment Re: made: 2011-08-29 02:43:30.225861+02 by: Nancy
That makes sense. I thought about "client" as in who is paying for the web site vs "user" as in who is navigating the information on the web site. Couldn't quite get my head around the transit scenario, though, until I read your response - thanks!
#Comment Re: made: 2011-08-29 16:25:42.815992+02 by: Dan Lyke
Yep, Eric's got it.
In this case it's three-fold: Golden Gate Transit can subsidize commuter traffic by raising bridge fairs in order to keep traffic on the Golden Gate Bridge lower. So that's actually a customer/user relationship that's somewhat in order.
However, we were trying to make sense of their more local services, in order to build a transit guide for Charlene's students, and having a hell of a time of it. We're wondering if there would be money in trying to build a better transit guide, but somehow I doubt it.
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