I spoke with a couple of Guam Regional Transit Authority's patrons and asked them what are some of the ways that mass transit can improve.1
Most riders politely backed away from me, a much-too-caffeinated stranger disrupting their peaceful wait at the bus stop.2 A couple of folks had some suggestions.
One kind man came prepared to the bus stop with one of those walkers that has a built-in chair. He said it'd be helpful to provide bus schedules. (This makes sense to me. Not everyone has access to the internet 24-7 so a paper bus schedule or even a sign at the bus stop with the bus schedule would properly inform people.)
Another woman was waiting at the Guam Community College bus stop3 and told me taking the bus is very difficult. She said the wait times were quite long and sometimes it's too loud on the bus. 4
Some other things I think that would improve rider experience:
Photos of each of the bus stops, organized by location.
Improving the bus stop database on GRTA's website by including "Tiyan" in the "search by village" function.
Improving the trip planner so that alternate, nearby bus stops are automatically provided as a possible destination point.
Things I think riders should bring:
A friend. It's so much better waiting with a friend.
Some snacks. (Footnote: I saw also at the Hagatna pool terminal that they had a portable toilet there. I don't know where to appropriately put this footnote but I did want to include it in this just in case it could benefit someone.)
A power bank, so you can pass the time on your smartphone.
Sneakers and some sort of rain protection. For me, I packed a rain jacket on one trip. On the other trip I used the Power of Prayer to keep me from getting rained on. Both worked for me.
A walker with a built-in chair to wait comfortably.
There are plans for more buses and more bus stops, which would conceivably reduce wait times and be more convenient for riders.
We don't quite know yet when that will all happen, but I look forward to it.
We also know that mass transit started advertising on buses. This is expected to bring in thousands of revenue. More revenue would allow more improvements to the system. Conceivably.
I'll keep my antennae trained for more mass transit news and follow up as needed after this month. I don't know if I'll try mass transit again. It depends on my situation. I would really love to be able to just take the bus somewhere and not commit hours to the commute. Alas, First Hawaiian Bank's car they let me drive is just too convenient for me. So ends my mass transit adventures, for now.
I encourage you to try to take transit and experience it for yourself. If you need a buddy, I'm willing. 5
Now for some trash talk
A 2019 waste study of Guam found that like an estimated 20,000 tons per year of compostable food scraps went straight to the landfill.
The most recent waste characterization study (Jacobs 2019c) as well as the 2018 Guam municipal solid waste recycling and disposal data (Guam EPA 2019) estimates that upwards of 20,000 TPY of food and compostable organics is being disposed of at the Layon Landfill and could be diverted.
A very small portion (less than 1000 TPY) is being donated to pig farmers.
I literally copy and pasted that from this white paper from zerowasteguam.eco. Bro our food scraps do NOT need to go to the landfill. They could be turned into beautiful compost instead of taking up space in Layon.
So, something cool that's happening this week is Farm To Table Guam is going to take your fruit and veggie food scraps and turn it into beautiful compost.
This is a big deal dot com to me. If you're not remotely interested in diverting your food waste from the landfill, you don't pass the vibe check. (Idk what a vibe check is, but Gen Z knows what it is. My understanding of a vibe check is you want to pass it.)
I spoke with Cassie, project director with Farm to Table Guam, and she said this is a first for the organization.
Before, the group has allowed people who asked about dropping off food scraps to hand over a bag or two to Farm to Table. They've also worked with some small businesses to pick up food scraps but they've never called on the public at large to drop their scraps, Cassie said.
Farm to Table Guam will take your fruit and veggie scraps TOMORROW from 8:30 a.m. to noon.
Cassie said they'll see how it goes this first time and if all goes well, they might arrange for weekly drop-offs. 6
The scraps they collect will be shuttled around the corner to their farm where the compost magic will happen, Cassie said.
So follow Farm to Table on Instagram and Facebook and be on the lookout for information about future drop-offs.
If you enjoyed this and know someone else who might also enjoy it feel free to share it with them.
Also, just a reminder that there's a literal nuclear waste dome that's leaking and the Department of Energy was like "✌️ No worries for now."
Thanks for reading. Write to you again soon.7
Cheers, Jasmine
I realize this is a day late!!!! Sorry!!!!!!
This is a very appropriate response
She was going to Payless Mangilao. I am not joking. She was taking the exact route I took last week. We both lamented the hour-long trip and hour+ long wait for the bus to come around again.
She also said some people stink on the bus. Which is something GRTA can’t control.
There are pre-requisites, of course. We must know each other actually. We cannot be bus buddies if either of us is a perv or a killer.
So, I BEG OF YOU, please do this. Tell your friends. Tell your families.
Have you subscribed?