METRO blogger interviews METRO chief for new METRO talk show
METRO's blogger announced that the transit agency has launched a new "talk show" which will air on Houston's public access channel. Mary Sit says, "It's a new way for us to communicate with you." The first guest was (drumroll) METRO President Frank J. "Procurement Disaster" Wilson.
Here are some (rapidly scribbled) notes from the interview:
-- New Baytown service: There is no cost to METRO. County pays all costs, and Wilson said this area really needs to be a part of METRO's service area. (Contrast that with folks who DO pay into METRO but get no service whatsoever.)
-- METRO needs consent agreements with City of Houston to proceed with rail lines, and Mayor White wants one consent agreement to cover all five lines. Wilson says he wants one consent agreement to cover all of METRO Solutions.
-- METRO will be launching a new bus service to IAH. Cost will be $15 and will run every thirty minutes between IAH and the Downtown Transit Center. (See here for an entertaining look at a past experience with an IAH Express Bus Route.)
-- New "signature bus service" called Quick Line is a precursor to light rail, as buses will provide quicker service and be able to go through traffic signals. UH OH!!
-- Q Card: Standard usage at other transit agencies is 2-10%. In the first two months of METRO's Q Card program, usage is 44%. (Visit Laurence Simon for an alternative view of the Q Card program.)
-- What is METRO CEO's biggest challenge? "We need more time."
-- METRO is "committed to remaking the face of Houston."
-- "Growth is great, but must be managed."
-- Frank thinks pretty highly of himself -- he told Mary Sit twice that he was a very special guest to have on her new show, and after he talked on and on, he said that she hadn't asked him certain questions, but he'd answer them anyway.
Were there any other unasked questions? Why yes! Mary Sit didn't ask him about his "rich experience in both the public and private sectors," and she didn't ask him about his $1,000 per month car allowance.
But it was kind of hard for her to get a word in edge-wise.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 03/21/08 09:31 AM | Print |
Previous Entry | Home | Next Entry
ADVERTISING
DISCLAIMER
All content © 2004-09, blogHOUSTON and the respective authors.
blogHOUSTON.net is powered by Nucleus.
Site design and Nucleus customization are by Kevin Whited.