McMARTA
Decatur Metro | September 9, 2009Dear Transit Rider,
I bet that long walk to MARTA this morning made you somethin’ hungry, huh?
I bet as you stepped onto that brown-tiled platform you were mighty jealous of all those car commuters who could just pull up to a window, hand over a couple dollars, and graze freely from that brown paper bag, huh?
Well drool-jealous no more hapless rail commuter/untapped consumer! McDonald’s has heard your cries of hunger pain and wishes to level the commuter playing field!
The fast-food chain’s “Try Free, Ride Free” event, which rewards public transit riders in six U.S. cities with free transit rides and free Angus Third-Pounders, starts September 13th!
Still no word on McDonald’s opening locations in rail stations, so for now after your first free taste, I guess you’ll still need to hoof it across that freeway on-ramp to get your grease fix.
But hey at least in the future, when you think “transit”, you’ll also think “beef”.
And of course, no food or drink allowed on MARTA…nice, huh?
Guilt-free grub: Scarf now, walk it off on the way home.
I HAVE never felt jealous of the car commuters when going downtown. My ride is quicker, I have no parking, car theft, or mileage to deal with, and many times I even get a chance to read or chat with a neighbor or colleague. If my train is 5 minutes late, I act mortally wounded, but I remember when my ride across 19 miles of Los Angeles County would take me 90 minutes during commutng hours.
This “event” seems like more promotion than gift–Can’t tell easily from the website which day it wil happen in Atlanta and it’s only good for one day. And since the transit rider will be on MARTA, they probably won’t even be going past a McDonald’s that day. Or will they mail me free Angus Third-Pounder, whatever that is.
Nor should you feel jealous. It’s all tongue-in-cheek to the extreme.
MARTA is going to change its rules about eating/drinking, at least at the stations, but I don’t know about the trains/buses yet. They are also going to allow food vendors AT the stations is what I am hearing, but I don’t know when that will begin. People already carry food and drinks on MARTA, but they don’t eat or drink while on the trains/buses, unless surreptitiously — likewise smoking, which can earn you a hefty fine. I don’t go to McDonald’s often, but I like knowing about their promotion for public transportation clients. And, in agreement with CSD Snowflake, I have never felt even the tiniest bit jealous of car commuters — they carry quite a financial burden in order to have a hunky private vehicle at their beck and call (when it’s not in the repair shop).
Two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a twenty-minute late bus….
Not sure if this is related, but a couple of weeks ago while riding on the East rail line, I was asked to participate in a survey by a Marta official. I was asked a series of questions about the extent to which I would like to see more amenities at or near the stations.
It was interesting that the interviewer specifically mentioned McDonald’s and Starbucks when asking about food and coffee shops. I don’t know, maybe they are just the most common brands that come to mind. Also, I seem to recall that the interviewer also mentioned something about “if MARTA changed the rules about eating and drinking….”
There were some really good ideas, IMHO, like library kiosks, and some so-so ideas: “How often would you expect to rent electronic devices like portable MP3 players from a station/kiosk?”
But I can’t help but wonder if I am missing something. Aside from potential increase in panhandlers, what are the drawbacks? Don’t these subterranean shops work well in NYC?
I went to school in Boston and they have Dunkin’ Donuts in the bigger stations. I’d be far less grumpy when the train is late with a tall regular and a jelly donut.
In Boston, they’d have a Dunkin Donuts in every front yard if they could.
=)
Ha! That’s probably true!. You can’t swing a cat up there without hitting a donut shop :~>
But the coffee is really,really great.
Aye & it’d be even better if that donut could be a fresh Krispy Kreme, plain glazed, hot off the conveyor belt. I guarantee nobody would be getting on the train in a bad mood!
They have food vendors at Tube stations in London UK but don’t sell McDonalds or Burger King. Not everybody likes the overwhelming smell of these [edited] (there is a reason its cheap) that people break open in the middle of a crowded train. Bleh. That food is disgusting.
I’m a big fan of the European food vendors in many subway systems in Europe & the US. But my commute to work on the train is smelly enough without having whaffs of greasiness come my way.
If I thought the riders would be respectful with their trash and whatnot like they seem to be in London, I’d be in favor. But in the current Marta environment, it spells smelly disaster to me.
MARTA stations (including Decatur station) are cleaner than the streets surrounding them, and the trash cans seem to be emptied often. But MARTA bus stops on the streets sometimes have overflowing trash (need to empty those more often) or don’t provide any trash can (need to provide each bus stop with a trash can). If enough trash cans are supplied and emptied often, I don’t expect to see any problems on the platforms, trains, or buses. One of the existing MARTA rules that is enforced (I have witnessed this in person) is “no littering.” I would expect this rule to be continued and enforced. I trust the current MARTA ridership to continue to put their trash in the cans provided, but MARTA will need to do their part to empty the cans in a timely manner. Surely they have considered the extra logistics involved in providing food and drinks in the stations…