Walking the Gauntlet

Cramped Aisles Adds to
Rider Discomfort

As ridership increases, the design flaws of the ChicagoDASH buses are more glaring with every ride.  While we've previously talked about the narrowness of the buses' main aisle, we didn't realize then how this flaw would  contribute to the buses' overall cramped feeling.  Riders now have to cram into the aisle seats and because the seats themselves are wrong-sized, riders seated in the aisle seat have to lean into the main aisle thereby reducing the aisle width further and effectively creating a gauntlet for passengers to pass through as they get on and off.  The result is not enjoyable for either the passengers moving down the aisle or the unfortunate ones seated along the aisle.

It's safe to say that designing buses with 16" aisles is not a good idea.

Notes About This Site

The ChicaGO Dash bus service between Valparaiso and Chicago started on the right foot but then messed up when City officials purchased poorly designed, very uncomfortable buses.  When the ChicaGO Dash service was launched, it advertised "first class" seating.  That may have been a stretch, but the buses that were initially used (owned and operated by Free Enterprise, Inc.) were safe, comfortable and functional.  Unfortunately, the service can't even claim to be comparable to coach seating on the buses Valparaiso purchased.

Ideally, City officials would understand the problems with the buses they purchased and begin addressing them.  And while most regular riders believe that the problems are obvious, they most likely won't be to City officials who either don't ride the bus or certainly don't ride it on a regular basis.  So, the intent of this site is to detail and discuss the problems with the ChicaGO Dash buses in the hope that Valparaiso officials will understand the issues and take the right actions to correct them.

The Sardine Bus

For the first time in a long while, I was able to leave my Chicago office a little earlier than usual yesterday and I caught the first ChicagoDASH bus to Valpo. While our group was waiting, someone mentioned something about the "Sardine Bus."  The phrase captures the feeling you get when you sit on a full ChicagoDASH bus.  And it's on these days when the buses are just three-quarters full that you wonder who would think that these buses (manufactured by MCI Coaches and purchased by the City of Valparaiso) could possibly be comfortable.  Someone at City Hall believed the sales pitch they heard and now we have to endure the results.