Integrity on Sunday

It’s been a week or so since the story broke that there will be no Metro shuttle bus service to and from the Hawks games this season due to a horrible new law that requires teams to open their transportation needs to private companies. If a private company makes a bid, a government operation like Metro is blocked from bidding unless the private company drops its bid.

In the Seahawks case, Starline Transportation decided to make a bid and refused to drop their bid after the Hawks turned them down. Everyone is picking their villain in this drama because the outcome is that commuting to the games goes from dream to nightmare.

I hold Starline responsible for not pulling their bid when it was clear that they were going to offer an inferior service for more money. They never had this business, so they can’t make the claim that it was impacting their annual sales forecasts. It’s just bad business to screw the people you want to call customers. I’ve seen quotes from their spokesperson saying that people just aren’t willing to accept the new costs of transportation.

If Metro would be able to offer the same service they did last year for the same, or similar price, what in the world is Starline referring to? The way I see it, people aren’t willing to pay more for less. That’s just intelligence.

I have been able to leave for the game 60 mins before game time, arrive in plenty of time and get home within 45 mins of game end, all for $6 round trip. We regularly talked on the bus about how great the service was and how much it improved the gameday experience compared to driving and paying $30-45 for parking and getting mired in traffic.

I am now left with these choices:

1. Try taking the regular Metro Express bus that leaves far less often and will likely be packed

2. Pay $25 for a Starline shuttle

3. Drive

4. Carpool

HawkbloggerWife surely does not want my compacted 5-6 hour Sunday exursion turn into a prolonged 7-9 hour marathon. Hawkblogger Household would be in a bit of turmoil. I also don’t want give a company I now hate my money.

What to do? What are you all doing?