Good post on Brigham Yen’s blog today about a visitor from San Francisco getting his first taste of the Metro system.
Metro's sharp-looking seats -- in my view! Photo by Brigham Yen.
The visitor has mostly positive things to say, but was puzzled by the unlocked turnstiles (join the crowd!) and had mild complaints about lighting in the subway cars and the material used on subway seats.
Brigham echoes a few of those points. My one counterpoint: I like the materials used on seats on Metro’s buses and trains, which I think adds a nice splash of color and makes the buses and trains more welcoming.
Brigham, of course, includes a photo of a big ol’ splotch of nasty used gum on one of the seats. Good eye! 
Your thoughts? Take the poll!
Plastic has its drawbacks too, it’s easily vandalized and once etching occurs whatever is in the etching can be difficult to clean. Plastic seats are hard and expensive to replace, while the seat cushions used now are actually easily replaceable/washable inserts on top of a plastic seat.
I think this post has the wrong question, I think the better question is, “should metro increase maintenance of seat inserts? If yes, how should it be funded?”
Folks I have talked to on the orange line wished that there were armrests on the seats as some people tend to take two seat spots when the bus is quite crowded.
Interesting. I have rode the BART system and their seats are actually cushioned which was nice. I know the rides on MTA system are not long enough today to really warrant cushioned seats, but it was something that was relaxing when I arrived in SF. My trip was from door to door was the Redline, to Blueline, to Green; connected at LAX, my flight, Touchdown at SFO, and then the skytrain, to BART. me and my butt enjoyed the BART seats upon arrival.. The return was wher I noticed that MTA seats are kinda hard. Plastic I think is a bad idea. I remember buses having hard plastic seats. Not comfy at all.
Oops, I didnt see how gross the BART seat are.. Eeek!
They should just replace them with the new seats that the JR Yamanote Line just got back in June:
http://www.japanprobe.com/2011/06/03/jr-yamanote-line-gets-new-seats/
Full cushioned seats that faces the aisle but are made to reduce annoyance to other passengers.
I definitely say keep the cloth — AND add carpets!
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/97/Washington_Metro_rolling_stock_-_interior.jpg
I don’t know if Brigham ever remembers riding the old RTD (the predecessor transit agency to Metro in Los Angeles county), but the old RTS-model buses circa mid 1980s had the plastic seats in the back of the bus.
They were the most vandalized and least desirable seats to sit in.
The multicolored upholstery is actually a pretty good vandalism deterrent. Take them out and you’re guaranteed to have Sharpie tags in every seat.
Plus, if we had the funds to change out all of our train and bus seats, I would much rather have that money go towards later and more frequent transit service.
@Y Fukuzawa
I assume from the video that the blue seats were the old ones and the brown seats are the new ones that are being replaced with. Heck the old blue seats in that video seem much more comfortable than the seats on the LA Metro.
Why can’t the “upholstery” of the seats MATCH the “color” of the light-rail line of the train they are on? (Blue for Blue line, red for red line, etc.)? Or would that make too much sense?
John,
Light rail and subway vehicles, I believe, can be used interchangeably on any of the lines in their respective systems. Creating color schemes for trains to match their lines would limit flexibility. Just think if the Siemens trains used on the Gold and Green Lines had been given gold and green seats. Many of those trains are going to be used on the Expo Line. Would you then support changing the seat colors all the time and the additional expense to Metro?
Carter Rubin
Contributor, The Source