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Matt3989 t1_iymjy6x wrote

I commute with the Metro at least 3 days a week, I think it's a couple of things:

  • Fewer people paying for tickets due to the App (there's pretty much always a gate open, and there's not always an attendant, so it becomes a challenge to even prove that you're a rider that day). This is especially true for Student passes, their tickets are already paid for so there's no reason to even attempt to show the attendant, just go through the open gate. Daily ticketing on the app is really just awful btw, if you use the metro, get a Charm Card and ignore the app.

  • Better Bus routes have made some of the metro transfers obsolete

  • More people working from home so there are less people commuting to T-Rowe/Hopkins Hospital

  • The number of Bus Bridges, Single Tracking Days, Brake Fires, etc. is insane. It's a toss-up when trains will leave, and how long the ride will be. It can be anywhere from 28 minutes to 1:20 end to end. I have a flexible job so it doesn't matter when I get in, but if you are on a strict schedule, I don't see how the Metro is a viable option.

Another pet peeve: Why don't the underground stations have 5g (or any service) towers yet? If I'm waiting an extra 10 minutes for a delayed train, it would be nice to check some emails or browse reddit or something.

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needleinacamelseye t1_iymsx2y wrote

> More people working from home so there are less people commuting to T-Rowe/Hopkins Hospital

I wonder how much of this is also the hollowing-out of jobs in the old downtown - a lot of companies have relocated to Harbor East in the last few years, which the subway doesn't serve. Given that the subway is so poorly integrated with the rest of the city's transit system, it would make sense that if commuters vanish due to relocations + WFH, so does most of the line's ridership.

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Matt3989 t1_iymu9j6 wrote

Shot tower to Harbor East isn't too bad given the rest of Baltimore's transit. I could be wrong, but I think a significant number of Harbor East workers just live in the area.

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needleinacamelseye t1_iymy5au wrote

I would imagine that for someone choosing between transit and driving, a mandatory transfer from subway to bus is going to push them towards driving instead of transit.

Given Harbor East's better location for car commuting at the end of the JFX, its (presumed - I don't actually know) better parking situation, and the fact that most commuters are no longer in the office five days a week, I would think that people that would have taken the subway when they were downtown five days a week will prefer to drive than subway + bus if they only have to be in Harbor East two days a week.

Fair point about more people living near Harbor East, though - why take the subway when you could walk? I'd love to see a more thorough analysis of where and how commuters move around the city.

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peanutnozone t1_iyn3gu8 wrote

Prior to Covid I worked in Harbor East and I knew at least a few of my colleagues who took the subway and got off at shot tower… anecdotal I know but I think a lot of what we’re seeing is effects of the pandemic

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bwoods43 t1_iyn4ims wrote

Not everyone has a car, so that option isn't available to everyone. I think what the above poster was saying is that for people who take Metro, it's pretty easy to get to Harbor East on foot. But also, perhaps there are fewer people taking any mass transit to Harbor East because they may now live in the area.

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Gitopia t1_iymxejv wrote

State center had a huge number of riders pre-2020.

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dillond18 t1_iynzhlf wrote

Same goes for the light rail. Seems like everyday there is a massive delay, bus bridge, or single tracking. Until transit is reliable people won't use it over driving.

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