Flexcar: My First Trip

February 05, 2005 by Eric Richardson

I took my first trip with Flexcar tonight. Kathy and I headed out for the evening, getting some food at the Koo Koo Roo on Wilshire (by the Tar Pits), stopping to buy a pair of shoes at The Grove, and then watching A Very Long Engagement at the Laemmle Music Hall 3 farther down Wilshire in Beverly Hills. There was no particular reason for me to drive, but I figured tonight was as good of a time as any, so I walked over to the Bonaventure and picked up the car. — Continue Reading...

TripMaster: A Strategic Plan

February 03, 2005 by Eric Richardson

Is it funny that it took noticing that people were finding my blog by googling for mta tripmaster to actually make me think of that for finding more info? Weird how that works sometime...

So according to a July report from last year (PDF), the TripMaster was developed internally by the MTA with the goal of eliminated an expensive outside contract. That's a goal I absolutely agree with, and I think they've got the right idea.

But when it comes to implementation... Well... You know how I feel.

My Laziness is Catching Up With Me

February 02, 2005 by Eric Richardson

I rode my bike to school today. It was the first time in a while that I'd pulled it out of the closet and given my legs a stretch. And, well, they felt it. It's not a bad ride from my apartment: it's about two and a half miles, and it's mostly flat.

I need to get in shape. It's sad when I get tired halfway through a twenty minute bike ride.

Hybrid Drivers Still Not Special Enough

February 01, 2005 by Eric Richardson

Back in October, when CA passed its law saying that solo hybrid drivers could use the carpool lanes, Mack Brown posted that the law had a big problem: Congress had to pass similar legislation. I replied in the comments saying basically that this had been part of the deal the whole time, and that no one should have been surprised by it.

Well, it turns out people still were surprised. The LA Times today has an article about the still waiting hybrid drivers.

It has been a long and frustrating delay, said Lorusso, 46, who moved to Toluca Lake from Ventura last year.

"It was part of the sales pitch, and I've been waiting ever since," she said. "I've been going online every month to see if it's gone through."

I guess lesson number one is don't believe everything they pitch you... — Continue Reading...

No More Tokens

January 31, 2005 by Eric Richardson

I mentioned several weeks ago that the paperwork for getting a student pass from Metro seems complicated. At the same time, though, the reduction from $52 to $30 is pretty substantial.

Today I ended up getting the best of both worlds. I went down to the JPL intending to get tokens, and found they had February monthly passes in stock. Through JPL I can get a monthly pass for $37. That's not $30, but it's also no paperwork. Maybe I'll get the paperwork figured out in time for the next round of Metro student ids (which are good March 1 - October 31).