Anyone Here (in Houston) Use Metro's Park and Ride?

Last time I did, I thought I was going to get mugged.

 

I use the park and ride for my commute.

Most people at my office use the Kim Son building to park which costs 75 monthly.

With the park and ride I pay 50 monthly. Thats only 25 dollars difference, but then think about the savings on fuel and that 25 savings can easily balloon into the hundreds.

I have never been late while using the park and ride. I get to catch up on studying or work while letting someone else drive. There is always nice eye candy on the train while in the med center area.

I only ride one bus in and out. My bus goes from the park and ride to the med center. From the med center I ride the train to downtown. At the end of the day I do the same in reverse order. 50 minutes from my office to the park and ride without any headaches.

 

If you're working ANYWHERE downtown, the Park and Ride closest to your house should leave you within walking distance from your work, and you shouldn't be lazy to not walk. Or, in some other instances, you can walk down through the tunnels in a cool AC atmosphere. Research www.ridemetro.org to see which one is close to your house.

I do PickUp and Ride with Park&Ride leeches when I am late to drive in or my carpool buddy doesn't go with me. There is always a line at the Addicks (HW6 and I-10) park and ride for riders who don't get on the bus. That's not a bad alternative, either. They will drop you off closest to your work.

 

I did it for a week and it was awesome! Very relaxing, save money on gas, parking (which is ridiculous downtown), and I got a discount from the company for Metro passes. I recommend it if it is a straight shot from the park and ride to work. I only did it for a week b/c I've been relocated to another location.

Why don't you try it once?

 

I did it for a few months but missed the freedom to drive where I wanted to go to lunch.

Huge advantage is ont he ride home you can fall asleep and you end up at home magically.

 

ima...did youir office move, or did you get a new job? I thought I remember you saying you were getting laid off at the end of the year.

 

My wife has taken the park and ride since she started working downtown 4 years ago. She wouldn't work downtown if she couldn't take the park and ride. It takes most of the stress of the commute out and on I-45, it uses the commuter lane, so she thinks its a little bit faster than her driving in rush hour anyways.

Its amazing how a 45 minute to 1 hour commute becomes more bearable when you don't have to drive it.

 

WWW.RIDEMETRO.ORG

 

I take it a few times a week from the West Little York location (290 & Beltway 8) to Greenway Plaza. Today I missed the 7:10 bus so I had to take the 7:30 one and got to work at about 8:15.

I dont know, for me there are pros and cons.

Pros:
1. Dont have to attempt to slay the 290 beast (which will worsen in the next few years with construction) every day.
2. Save the environment.
3. Less wear and tear on my SUV
4. Relax, no stress

Cons:
1. The cost:

Drive alone: 18.5 miles door to door and I get about 18 mpg on my Pilot. Thats 37 miles every day. Cost of gas is about $2.65/gal = $5.46 TOTAL

Take the bus: Drive 10 miles (round trip) to and from Park and Ride = $1.47 plus the $5.00 round trip fare = $6.47 TOTAL

So its pretty much more expensive to take the Park-And-Ride.

 

When you factor in car maintenance costs, it ain't so bad.

After my car blew up, I started taking the bus from my home in the Galleria area to my job in Montrose. I'd never ridden Metro before and was prepared for it to suck badly but it was actually pleasant. On my route it was just a couple school kids, seniors, and maids going to work in River Oaks. The trip was about 20 minutes and it was nice to just zone out or read the paper on my way to work instead of constantly worrying about police pulling me over.

 

I used it from Katy when I was working in Houston for a week in December. It was REALLY convenient, quick, simple . . . I was very impressed with the service, and if I lived in Houston and could take it, I'd do it every day.

 

I'm not stalking you, but do you work off of those buildings near Waugh?

 

i'm not stalking you either, but could you tell me the exact address, the floor you are on and which cubicle you sit in? don't worry, i don't plan stabbing you or anything, just wanted to come by and say hello.

 

yeah, im on the corner of smith and lamar. i am the guy that panhandles.

 

I'd like to take that a bit further and... damn it, when do I use further and when do I use farther...? I forgot. Anyway, what about carpooling? I do it.

Pros:
You get to use your car during lunch or to run errands while at wo... I mean, during lunch.
You get to talk to someone you'll actually see later during your trip to work.
You actually use your car.
You help the environment.
You have a genuine excuse to leave sooner from work: "José is waiting for me... I gotta go... I carpooled today... aren't I awesome? Bye, boss!"

Cons:
You get p*ssed that the other person is never ready when you come to pick them up.
You p*ss off the other person because you're never ready when they come to pick you up.

 

The person that's stalking you wants to know...It's not Kam, though!! Honest!!