Susan Bean got off the bus a stop or two too late. The bus — the S3, down Hendersonville Road in South Asheville — completes a regular two-hour loop to the airport and back. Bean was hoping to get off at a location where she would be able to easily take another bus, the S6, back to downtown Asheville.
Unfortunately, the consequences of her error were immediate. In this part of town, buses come infrequently — sometimes with as long as 90 minutes between runs. The subsequent bus stop was by the side of Hendersonville Road, trucks whizzing past. The steep hillside was covered in grass, no sidewalks, no crosswalks.
For some people, the bus is their only transportation option. Susan Bean, though, has another mission. Bean, who is the housing and transportation director at MountainTrue, made the choice to ride the bus to raise awareness for the city’s transit survey. This survey, which is available until Oct. 26, is part of a larger planning process called the Comprehensive Operational Analysis. It comes at a critical time for the bus system’s future. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, ART ridership — in line with national trends — has decreased even as the city continues to grow. Yet, 74% of sampled Asheville residents wanted expanded bus service, according to previous steps in the engagement process…