Las Vegas Heat Breaks down Buses but the Bus Stops is what leave riders exposed even more

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Las Vegas is usually very hot and tourists visiting for a short period may feel it for a few days, but for the people who live there, the heat is not just uncomfortable, it is dangerous, a real threat to their well being. The city is facing a new problem and this is evidence of how extreme weather and public services link. There's numerous reports of buses breaking down in the heat, leaving riders stranded. The city leaders are petitioning Congress for help.

Earlier this very week, Congresswoman Dina Titus introduced a bill called the BUFFER Act. This plan is designed to let the transit agencies keep more spare buses ready just in case some of the buses being used, break down. As of now, the federal rule only allows up to 20% of a fleet to be stored as spares.

That number of buses may be enough in some cooler cities, but in Southern Nevada it has already created a serious problem. They have summer temperatures going over 110°F, and as a causality, the buses are breaking down more often than normal. The electric buses lose their charge faster than they should and the older diesel buses are breaking down. The air conditioning systems run at full power and sometimes stop working altogether, that's the level of inconvenience people are going through in that region.

When a single bus breaks down, the riders are delayed but when you have several buses breaking down in a single day, it's entire routes that get affected. This issue has already become a daily reliability issue. The BUFFER Act would raise the spare fleet limit to 30% and that will help by giving Las Vegas more backup buses and more flexibility. All of Nevada’s congressional delegation supports this move.

I personally don't live in Las Vegas, not even in America but do follow updates and I see it as a necessary change but there's a side to it I don't see more people addressing that much, maybe I'm not looking at the right news, maybe.

At first glance of the problem, it's an issue of too much heat, not enough buses and a law that needs to change. But by observation, another real risk besides the limited bus fleet is the bus stop itself. Many of the bus stops in Las Vegas are basically poles in the ground and with no shelter from the sun. The riders usually have to wait on sidewalks without shade, not that many benches and access to drinking water. On a normal day, this is just going to be an uncomfortable experience I would imagine but on a 110°F day, it can pretty much be deadly to some people.

The Southern Nevada Health District has already reported rising heat related deaths in previous years. Did you know that one of the leading cause of weather related deaths in Clark County is extreme heat?

So now when the buses break down and the riders are left waiting longer periods in this condition, the danger practically increases. Standing outside for about 20 to 30 minutes without cover can cause some serious heatstroke and obviously, dehydration. This is life threatening in some cases.

I realized that this is the part of the story that a lot of the discussions leave out, Congress debates on how many spare buses should be allowed, and it's rightly so, that's a problem, but the people on the ground need safe, shaded bus stops as well.

I do not think that fixing this problem would require waiting for Washington. Knowing that shade structures, misting stations and water access at major bus stops can save lives, I believe authorities can take action immediately to better handle the situation which I feel is already unbearable for some.

The good thing is that these solutions are also faster and cheaper than replacing an entire fleet of buses. I'm also not saying that it's more important than the buses, no, but it can contribute to the solution.

Where will they get the funding? Well some of the local businesses could sponsor shaded stops near busy areas, I bet they have community groups that could provide cooling stations during the heat waves. Any and all small steps would be worth implementing if it'll contribute to protecting the people during the worst days.

I would say that Las Vegas needs both solutions not just the more buses. Indeed, more buses will keep the system running. But it's only logical to think that safer bus stops will keep riders alive while they wait for the more buses. One without the other may still leave them with heat stroke issues.

The public transits encompasses more than just the vehicles that function, it is actually the full experience of moving through the city.

For the leaders to better protect both the residents and the tourists, they need to think beyond engines and spare fleets. They must also think about the person that is standing on a hot sidewalk waiting for that bus to arrive.

I sure do stand by and believe The BUFFER Act as a good step forward, this is merely an addon to improve the situation positively.

Screenshot taken from this site