pembina, part 5: the human touch

there are a few issues with this project that the machine hasn't^°hard word quite picked up on ...

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occupancy rate - you can't^°hard word expect 100% occupancy^°hard word. You don't^°hard word even want that. 100% occupancy^°hard word requires^°hard word people to "reserve^°hard word" their bus ticket ahead of time. Which means, no walk-up^°hard word traffic^°hard word. People are very unlikely^°hard word to want a commuter pass that requires^°hard word they take the 6:30AM bus and never the 7:00AM bus.

bus utilization - ⚔️ well, actually, it knows you need a spare^°hard word bus the economics^°hard word mean that owning additional^°hard word buses that aren't^°hard word used^°hard word is a very minimal^°hard word cost^°hard word. and, time for maintenance^°hard word or "surge^°hard word demand^°hard word" is also necessary.

on the other hand, its awareness^°hard word of "driver utilization^°hard word" was less robust^°hard word. you can't^°hard word just pay a driver for one 3-hour shift^°hard word.

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station location - Stations, ideally^°hard word, have some or all of these:

• ample^°hard word parking
• public transit^°hard word connections
• destinations^°hard word within^°hard word walking distance
• quick access^°hard word to interstate^°hard word highways

It didn't^°hard word really have to pick locations^°hard word here; the main 3 stops (Ames^°hard word Intermodal^°hard word Facility^°hard word, Des^°hard word Moines^°hard word DART^°hard word Central^°hard word Station, and Osceola^°hard word AMTRAK^°hard word) were pre-determined^°hard word.

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additional stops - This is, more broadly, a common failure^°hard word of public transit^°hard word. Having every bus stop in Huxley^°hard word and Ankeny^°hard word on the way to Des^°hard word Moines^°hard word would be bad. Even the Ankeny^°hard word stop might not^°hard word make sense; how many people commute^°hard word Ames^°hard word <-> Ankeny^°hard word?

An initial^°hard word draft^°hard word suggested possible stops at Drake^°hard word University^°hard word, Merle^°hard word Hay^°hard word Mall^°hard word, and even North Grand^°hard word Mall^°hard word in Ames^°hard word. Were these AND suggestions, or XOR suggestions? It doesn't^°hard word matter; the scenario^°hard word where they are proposed^°hard word as^°hard word XOR and implemented^°hard word as^°hard word AND happens too often to be ignored^°hard word.

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electric buses - ⚔️ well, actually, I didn't^°hard word ask. it's^°hard word response^°hard word is fine.