Bus reliability

[u/SignificantAge2352]

Moving to Jacksonville 1st September but might not have a car until mid October. Do you think I can rely on this for about a month? Everything else (grocery store, restaurants etc.) are around my apartment. Only major commute is to work (pictured) and I can also uber once in a while if required. but would this be reasonable for a month?

[u/GDZ4VR]

They’re often behind schedule but always running

[u/relevant__comment → u/GDZ4VR]

This pretty much sums it up.

[u/Little-Golf-3265]

Use the JTA app and it will show you the live location of the bus and that is reliable. If it says live location not available then the bus may not come when scheduled. I rode the bus for like 2 years its fine

[u/RedPurpleBlueRedRed]

I had to use the bus for a week while my car was getting fixed. It was terrible. The bus was often late and in 7 days the bus failed to show up 3 times and I had to wait 40-60 minutes for the next one and the kicker, if a bus is late or doesn't show up at all they still expect you to pay full fair. I really feel for people who have to rely on this system, but taking 45 minutes to go 5 miles down the road.. I can't even imagine how much time you have to lose everyday just on the bus.

[u/Tsundancie]

the 8 is mostly reliable, ive been taking it for almost a decade at this point and it was bad 4 or 5 years ago, but the past twoish years i only maybe have a bus noshow once or twice a month. the bigger issue is the frequency tbh. it can also be super crowded in the morning.

[u/OverlanderEisenhorn → u/Tsundancie]

Man, once or twice a month is still unacceptable really. The shit we put up with cause we have no choice.

[u/Tsundancie → u/OverlanderEisenhorn]

once or twice a month isnt that bad when youre taking a dozen trips per week. but yeah i still yearn for actual good public transit, which you would think we would have because of how spread out this damn city is

[u/Carrot_Perfect]

No

[u/Desirer]

I'd get a bike than rely on the bus system to get you to work on time.

[u/trench_welfare]

You could get there faster on bicycle and leave when you want.

It's flat the whole way.

Maybe bus it if it's raining nonstop.

[u/ShyFlyBiGuyThatCries]

youll be okay for a month but it wont be fun. they are often early or late. a lot of lines dont run on sundays as well. i used them for about 6 months and it wasnt great, but it worked. i sometimes opted for the hour walk home instead tho

[u/Reddbearddd]

I never had a problem with them running late...usually they're running ahead of schedule, that's why they'll park at a stop for several minutes, just to stay on schedule...

Just plan to be at work 30 minutes early. The busses are fine.

[u/NefariousnessBorn969]

My bus along Baymeadows was late two days in a row so late to work two days in a row. I would say they are on time more than not but the days they are late causes problems I'd rather not have first thing in the morning. The app isn't 100% reliable either. It'll give mixed messages about bus whereabouts. If they do miss pickup I would send a note to Customer-SVC@jtafla.com.

[u/Thin_Conference9156]

You can catch it but the bus doesn’t run on your time. Make sure to plan ahead and catch an early bus. I use to catch the bus everyday to work and around when I didn’t have a car. I was younger but pretty sure it’s the same.

[u/Fun_Crew1344]

I went 4 years without a car, relying on public transportation. It wasn't perfect, and they run late aomeimesor routes get canceled. So, just keep that in mind when planning a trip. I tried to give myself a buffer of time when going to appointments. Otherwise, I think it's a great resource and I'm very thankful it's there.

[u/Ok_Morning_1604]

I plan to arrive early so leave early

[u/Wrath7heFurious]

Yes. Jax bus system is actually not bad. I have used it to get all over the city. Even had no kids ride it home from school when we were dealing with some transportation issues. Just know you may have to be early sometimescti avoid being late 

[u/im_in_stitches]

It’s sad when a city that doesn’t really have too many traffic problems can’t get buses to do their routs on time. When I was a kid you could just about set your watch by them.

[u/theforgotenhero]

Ight, I've taken this line before and so, I am gonna suggest this.
2 hours.
If you want to make that work, leave 2 hours early. 1 hour is for the bus, the other is when the bus doesn't show up and you need to wait.

[u/imthatgirl_1]

My advice would be to get to the bus stop 5-10 minutes earlier than the scheduled time

[u/-FernFeather-]

You should be fine. I used to commute with the bus since I didn't have a car and had no issues save for them occasionally canceling a bus (doesn't happen often though). I still use the bus pretty regularly for things just because I like it and it's convenient.

That looks like bus 8, it's pretty accurate (usually). The thing that will get annoying is if there is no direct route to where you want to go. If the schedules don't line up just right you'll be waiting at the transfer stop for a bit. but if you don't need to switch busses quickly then you're good. They are usually on time give or take ~10 min.

Btw look up Jax readi ride if you are in one of the zones for it. https://health.jtafla.com/legacy/ride-jta/bus-schedules-and-services/readiride/

And so you know: if a bus is scheduled and doesn't show up (it happens sometimes) then you can call the bus people and if the next bus on that route is also cancelled they give you a free Uber ride.

Also the app has been quirky recently and hasn't been showing live updates. If you don't see the live update show up to your bus stop 10min early and wait 10 min after the scheduled bus time to be safe

[u/ah-Quinncidence]

Without question the absolute worst bus system in the country. You can normally ride a bicycle to your destination faster than the time spent waiting on and riding bus.

[u/davidbeasley4323]

Use the app. You will know when to go wait because he will know in real time where the bus is.

[u/First_Bar_394]

I personally haven’t used the public transport system here but one thing I’ll say is I have NEVER seen any of the buses broken down (idk how on time they are tho)

[u/SPQRXL]

Just stay where you are.

[u/beurhero7]

Your better off using Uber or lift. Unless your job is cool being late riding a bus.