4A. Forming an Opportunity Belief
I have always believed that there is an opportunity for public transportation in the United States to grow and develop into a huge service that people would use for various purposes. Although there is RTS in Gainesville, I felt that the development of other public transportation such as metro in other cities can extremely enhance the performance of other businesses within the city.
As for my prototypical consumers, my long friend who has attended the same high school in Korea and now attends UNC-Chapel Hill, my church pastor, and my roommate in Gainesville who doesn't own a car have graciously given up their time to take part in this interview.
Interview #1 UNC Student previously in Korea
1. Have you ever felt discomfort with the public transportation system in your city?
Absolutely. Ever since I've left Korea, I always felt that public transportation in the U.S. has a great room for improvement. Where I am, in Chapel Hill, the buses are never on time, the drivers are often extremely rude, and drives extremely dangerously.
2. How do you think the system can improve?
Well, there are a great number of steps to take. I'd say that public transportation companies should make full use of consumer feedback to get three major problems to focus on.
3. Is there a public transportation system you think the United States can set as a role model?
Definitely! I know I shouldn't brag about my country, but Korea's public transportation is extremely effective, and cost-efficient. I cannot believe that United States, although their land size is about 80 times bigger, does not have a single city with a better system than that of any city in Korea! But then again, the infrastructure in Korea is so condensed that I also feel that it would have been easier in the perspective of the Korean companies.
4. Why do you think public transportation is important?
It's so important because of its ability to enhance performance of various other services. Not only can it improve time and cost constraints faced by other small businesses, it can also affect realty, tax, and other big aspects of local economy.
Interview #2 Church Pastor in Gainesville w/ car
1. Have you ever felt discomfort with the public transportation system in your city?
Well, in Gainesville, nothing in particular. To be honest, I do think that I face comparably less discomfort because I use a car for my daily commute. I hardly use the public transportation in Gainesville.
2. How do you think the system can improve?
One thing the city of Gainesville can definitely work on is its infrastructure of the road. Gainesville's roads' designs are outdated. Not to mention that they haven't thought of changing the layout of some roads, they've also postponed them. As a man who's lived fourty years in Gainesville, I can say confidently that all investors would hesitate investing in Gainesville because of the layout of its roads.
3. Is there a public transportation system you think the United States can set as a role model?
I went to Singapore once. I used their public transportation to get to every single block of their country, which is about the size of New York city, in my opinion. I spent 3 hours with its public transportation, and I spent about 9 dollars. That says a lot about how efficient their system is.
4. Why do you think public transportation is important?
Oh, public transportation is so important for the welfare of the citizens who are using it. Especially for the disabled or elderly, public transportation makes it possible for them to participate in events which would've been their otherwise impossible events to attend to.
Interview #3 Roommate w/o car
1. Have you ever felt discomfort with the public transportation system in your city?
Always man, it's hard waiting for the RTS for at least half an hour when the app says it's coming in 3 minutes. They have to do something about it.
2. How do you think the system can improve?
The App. The app is always lagging, and the announcement never works. I feel that a lot of the station doesn't even support a shade from the glaring Floridian sunlight too.
3. Is there a public transportation system you think the United States can set as a role model?
I feel that England's transportation system wasn't too bad. Although it wasn't the cleanest, they were always on time, and I felt like it was essential for a lot of the citizens in the U.K.
4. Why do you think public transportation is important?
For people and students like me, who doesn't own a car, public transportation is the legs that allow us to travel to different parts of the city that would otherwise cause us to spend hundreds and thousands of dollars on Uber and Lyft.
As for my prototypical consumers, my long friend who has attended the same high school in Korea and now attends UNC-Chapel Hill, my church pastor, and my roommate in Gainesville who doesn't own a car have graciously given up their time to take part in this interview.
Interview #1 UNC Student previously in Korea
1. Have you ever felt discomfort with the public transportation system in your city?
Absolutely. Ever since I've left Korea, I always felt that public transportation in the U.S. has a great room for improvement. Where I am, in Chapel Hill, the buses are never on time, the drivers are often extremely rude, and drives extremely dangerously.
2. How do you think the system can improve?
Well, there are a great number of steps to take. I'd say that public transportation companies should make full use of consumer feedback to get three major problems to focus on.
3. Is there a public transportation system you think the United States can set as a role model?
Definitely! I know I shouldn't brag about my country, but Korea's public transportation is extremely effective, and cost-efficient. I cannot believe that United States, although their land size is about 80 times bigger, does not have a single city with a better system than that of any city in Korea! But then again, the infrastructure in Korea is so condensed that I also feel that it would have been easier in the perspective of the Korean companies.
4. Why do you think public transportation is important?
It's so important because of its ability to enhance performance of various other services. Not only can it improve time and cost constraints faced by other small businesses, it can also affect realty, tax, and other big aspects of local economy.
Interview #2 Church Pastor in Gainesville w/ car
1. Have you ever felt discomfort with the public transportation system in your city?
Well, in Gainesville, nothing in particular. To be honest, I do think that I face comparably less discomfort because I use a car for my daily commute. I hardly use the public transportation in Gainesville.
2. How do you think the system can improve?
One thing the city of Gainesville can definitely work on is its infrastructure of the road. Gainesville's roads' designs are outdated. Not to mention that they haven't thought of changing the layout of some roads, they've also postponed them. As a man who's lived fourty years in Gainesville, I can say confidently that all investors would hesitate investing in Gainesville because of the layout of its roads.
3. Is there a public transportation system you think the United States can set as a role model?
I went to Singapore once. I used their public transportation to get to every single block of their country, which is about the size of New York city, in my opinion. I spent 3 hours with its public transportation, and I spent about 9 dollars. That says a lot about how efficient their system is.
4. Why do you think public transportation is important?
Oh, public transportation is so important for the welfare of the citizens who are using it. Especially for the disabled or elderly, public transportation makes it possible for them to participate in events which would've been their otherwise impossible events to attend to.
Interview #3 Roommate w/o car
1. Have you ever felt discomfort with the public transportation system in your city?
Always man, it's hard waiting for the RTS for at least half an hour when the app says it's coming in 3 minutes. They have to do something about it.
2. How do you think the system can improve?
The App. The app is always lagging, and the announcement never works. I feel that a lot of the station doesn't even support a shade from the glaring Floridian sunlight too.
3. Is there a public transportation system you think the United States can set as a role model?
I feel that England's transportation system wasn't too bad. Although it wasn't the cleanest, they were always on time, and I felt like it was essential for a lot of the citizens in the U.K.
4. Why do you think public transportation is important?
For people and students like me, who doesn't own a car, public transportation is the legs that allow us to travel to different parts of the city that would otherwise cause us to spend hundreds and thousands of dollars on Uber and Lyft.
Minseok,
ReplyDeleteI feel the same way about the transportation problem in the U.S as well. Besides those major large cities, transportation in America is very undeveloped. I think the main reason is that more people own a car in the U.S than in other countries. However, I believe that many people can not afford a car and living in the country area it is very hard for them.