Like most transit users in Austin, John Collins often finds himself standing while he waits for the bus to show up. CapMetro's bus stops on both sides of the street near his home in South Austin offer nowhere to sit.
"Terrible," the 74-year-old says of the lack of benches. "It's hard to stand there in the sun and stuff like that, especially when I can't see like myself."
"I think Capital Metro should drive around and see what's going on," he said.
CapMetro recently did just that. The transit agency conducted an audit of all 2,511 bus stops to figure out how many have benches and shelters.
The results? Fewer than half of bus stops — 47% — have a bench. Even fewer — 29% of stops — have a shelter.
In a memo presenting the audit's findings to CapMetro's board of directors, a top transit agency executive argued the results were good compared to other medium-sized bus agencies in North America.
"CapMetro has the third highest proportion of bus stops with seating, and the second highest proportion of bus stops with shelters among our [American Bus Benchmarking Group] peer-sized group," executive vice president Sharmila Mukherjee told board members.
She said CapMetro bus routes with higher rates of minority or low income riders are more likely to have a shelter or bench. CapMetro is prevented by federal regulations from providing downgraded services to people of color or those living below the poverty line.
But Mukherjee acknowledged the transit agency's resources are limited.
"It is anticipated to take many years and robust collaboration to install amenities throughout today’s system," she wrote.
CapMetro did not make someone available for an interview last week, citing scheduling issues. In a written statement, the transit agency said it was trying to grow the number of stops with amenities.
"Agency staff are assessing our current network and bus stop amenities to determine how many bench replacements are needed, and that number will inform how many we are able to add," spokesperson Jorge Ortega said in an e-mail.
In the last 12 months, CapMetro replaced 28 existing benches and added 157 new benches.
More benches are coming.
In September, the CapMetro board approved purchasing 185 benches per year for at least two years. The order with Tennessee-based OMNIA Partners is for both backed and backless benches. The benches cost an average of $3,300 each.
But many riders still find themselves waiting without a seat.
For commuters like Ray Sanchez, who has a health condition requiring a pacemaker, not having a bench makes it that much more arduous to use public transit.
"Standing up for long periods of time is hard," Sanchez said while waiting at a benchless stop on South First Street. He was leaning on a small concrete wall. "They need to keep that into consideration for the actual disabled."
