How easy is it take the bus in Mobile? FOX10 News takes a ride

MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) - As the city prepares to make major changes to its transportation system, FOX10 News put the status quo to the test.

FOX10 News is examining how the system works and the city’s goals for improvement. Part one of that series is here. Part two will air Tuesday evening.

To get a sense of how the system currently performs, FOX10 News recently tried to commute from the station’s studios in McGowin Park to Mobile Government Plaza, a trip that typically takes about 15 minutes by car when there is not heavy traffic.

The trip required no transfers and should take a little more than a half-hour, according to the Wave Transit System’s schedule. On this day, it was seven minutes late by the time it pulled up to the stop on Bolling Brothers Boulevard.

Riders can pay using an app on their phones. The buses also take coins, but you need exact change.

The trip offered a flavor of the challenges city leaders and Via Transportation face in trying to redesign the system. Unlike a lot of Wave Transit buses that run nearly empty, this one actually was full – so full, in fact, that the driver had to turn away a large group of people waiting at a stop on Government Street.

Even before the major changes take effect, Via Transportation has tweaked operations. Mayor Spiro Cheriogotis said the system’s on-time performance already has greatly improved.

But it is not without glitches. On this day, FOX10 News was riding the No. 12 bus, which follows a route from Tillman’s Corner to the Shoppes at Bel Air and then along Airport Boulevard to Government Street downtown. Before reaching Government Plaza, though, the bus took an unexpected turn on Broad Street.

At that point, the bus was running so late that the driver had no choice. The bus went directly to the end of the line at the GM&O Building in order to reset. To get to Government Plaza, riders would have had to board the outbound bus.