美国国家公共电台 NPR--Public transit in New Orleans needs an overhaul. The solution could lie in the past

Public transit¹ in New Orleans needs an overhaul². The solution could lie in the past

Transcript³

Bus ridership is rebounding⁴ but still below pre-COVID levels. Federal dollars are expanding services in many parts of the country. We take a ride through New Orleans to find what could be improved.

A MART?NEZ, HOST:

Bus ridership is up after a COVID drop, but ridership is still well below where it was three years ago and even lower than it was 30 years ago. Stephan Bisaha and Carly Berlin of the Gulf⁵ States Newsroom go on a New Orleans bus ride to better understand today's transit problems.

STEPHAN BISAHA, BYLINE⁶: That was our bus.

CARLY BERLIN, BYLINE: That was the bus.

BISAHA: So we just missed our bus.

BERLIN: We just missed the bus. Shoot.

BISAHA: OK, before we get into how our bus ride challenge went, we should explain the goal.

BERLIN: Yeah, so a while back, I was talking to the former head of New Orleans transit agency, Alex Wiggins, and he told me about how much better the city's bus system was when he was growing up here in the '70s.

ALEX WIGGINS: I just remember walking out to a bus stop, and no matter what, within 10 to 15 minutes, something's coming.

BERLIN: Like, he could get from his house all the way across town to this old amusement park in one hour using just buses and the ferry.

WIGGINS: I literally⁷, as a kid, remember getting in trouble because we got home at, like, 11:30, 12 o'clock at night, but we all did it on public transit (laughter), so...

BISAHA: So we decided⁸ to recreate that bus route to compare Wiggins' childhood transit memories to the 2023 bus reality.

BERLIN: And one hour was the time to beat.

BISAHA: All right, time to go.

BERLIN: All right.

BISAHA: Now, the first bus goes great.

BERLIN: But then...

Shoot. OK (laughter). Ferry's not running.

BISAHA: So we wait for a shuttle to take us across the Mississippi River instead.

BERLIN: Now, New Orleans has struggled to build back its transit system ever since Hurricane Katrina, which means service has gotten a lot worse for riders like Reeyana Bickham.

REEYANA BICKHAM: I've been on the bus since 7 - well, trying to get to work since 7. So...

BERLIN: Since 7 this morning?

BICKHAM: Since 7 this morning, and I work, like, right across from here.

BERLIN: And it's 12:30 right now.

BICKHAM: Yeah. Yeah.

BERLIN: Bickham usually commutes⁹ to the French Quarter, but with no ferry and no clear sign saying what bus to take instead, she got really turned around and missed half her workday.

BICKHAM: This has been my No. 1 form of transportation. And today it was just like - it let me down a little bit. It let me down just a little.

BISAHA: As for us, we eventually made it to the other side of the river, hopped¹⁰ on a streetcar before taking our final bus.

(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)

BERLIN: And on that loud last ride, some big New Orleans bus news actually dropped online. They shared their proposed route for this hot thing in transportation right now - Bus Rapid Transit.

BISAHA: Now, Bus Rapid Transit's it's really a fancy catchall name for things like priority bus lanes. Dozens of transit agencies across the country are either trying it or expanding it. The selling point is getting something closer to the speed of a rail system without having to pay for one.

Would this have sped up our route?

BERLIN: I think so. I think it's pretty fair to say.

But BRT doesn't solve a lot of the problems that haunt transit agencies today, like a shortage of bus drivers. More Americans own cars and work at home.

BISAHA: Yeah, but at least it would have made today's ride a lot faster.

BERLIN: Final time is (laughter) one hour, 57 minutes, 15 seconds.

(SOUNDBITE OF BEEP)

BISAHA: We were not even close to our one-hour goal.

Are we going to take the bus back?

BERLIN: I feel like I need to eat some lunch.

BISAHA: OK. Uber?

BERLIN: Yeah, maybe so.

BISAHA: Uber. OK, I'll put it on my phone.

A lot more expensive than the bus - 25 bucks¹¹.

BERLIN: Also, a lot faster - just 22 minutes.

For NPR News, I'm Carly Berlin.

BISAHA: And I'm Stephan Bisaha in New Orleans.

1 transit   

n.经过，运输；vt.穿越，旋转；vi.越过

参考例句：

• His luggage was lost in transit.他的行李在运送中丢失。
• The canal can transit a total of 50 ships daily.这条运河每天能通过50条船。

2 overhaul   

v./n.大修，仔细检查

参考例句：

• Master Worker Wang is responsible for the overhaul of this grinder.王师傅主修这台磨床。
• It is generally appreciated that the rail network needs a complete overhaul.众所周知，铁路系统需要大检修。

3 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

4 rebounding   

蹦跳运动

参考例句：

• The strength of negative temperature concrete is tested with supersonic-rebounding method. 本文将超声回弹综合法用于负温混凝土强度检测。
• The fundamental of basketball includes shooting, passing and catching, rebounding, etc. 篮球运动中最基本的东西包括投篮，传接球，篮板球等。

5 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

6 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

7 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

8 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

9 commutes   

上下班路程( commute的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• She commutes from Oxford to London every day. 她每天上下班往返于牛津与伦敦之间。
• Barbara lives in Oxford and commutes. 芭芭拉住在牛津，通勤往来。

10 hopped   

跳上[下]( hop的过去式和过去分词 )； 单足蹦跳； 齐足（或双足）跳行； 摘葎草花

参考例句：

• He hopped onto a car and wanted to drive to town. 他跳上汽车想开向市区。
• He hopped into a car and drove to town. 他跳进汽车，向市区开去。

11 bucks   

n.雄鹿( buck的名词复数 )；钱；（英国十九世纪初的）花花公子；（用于某些表达方式）责任v.（马等）猛然弓背跃起( buck的第三人称单数 )；抵制；猛然震荡；马等尥起后蹄跳跃

参考例句：

• They cost ten bucks. 这些值十元钱。
• They are hunting for bucks. 他们正在猎雄兔。 来自《简明英汉词典》