The Lower Rio Grande Valley Development Council is looking for input about public transportation through a survey.

"I need to catch the 11 [a.m.] right now so I can get to that new terminal they built, and then I'll catch the 5 [p.m.] there, it drops me off closer to home," Valley Metro user Francisco Paredes said.

Paredes takes the bus alone to get groceries. He also rides with his mom to her medical appointments. They use six buses for the round trip from McAllen to San Juan. 

Paredes says missing just one of those buses can add hours to their trip.

"I wish there were more extensive coverage regarding the routes currently in place, because there are a lot of people who live far away," Paredes said. "Sometimes there aren't any left, and people have to walk."

Channel 5 News spoke with several people who use Valley Metro about a survey on bus rider experience.

"When you have the app and check it, and it says it's coming in about 15 minutes, but it doesn't; it takes half an hour, or even up to 45 minutes," bus rider Patricia Herrera said. "Sometimes you have to walk two or three blocks, and with the weather the way it is right now, that's not good."

Some people wanted changs to the app and the stations, others are thinking about safety.

"There are a lot of us who use public transport, and it would be, I mean, a 30 minute wait would be better than an hour," bus rider Bryan Sosa said. "Sometimes there are stops right out on the highway. There's nothing else there, just the bus stop, so you have to wait there, and it's actually a bit dangerous."

Riders also mentioned they'd like to see upgrades to the bus stops.

"Some lighting and some upkeep," bus rider Gerardo Mata said. "Like some canopies over there on those rest benches. There would be better organized, or better recognized, if they could establish some canopy over them and some trash cans."

The LRGVDC wants to hear these comments. They're asking riders to share their experiences through an online survey.

LRGVDC says it's part of their Regional Public Transportation Coordination Plan, an initiative towards long-term strategic recommendations to optimize routing efficiency, adjust service frequencies, and maximize overall connectivity for better service.

Most riders didn't know about the survey. Fatima Chavez says she saw a flyer posted on the bus earlier this week.

"I looked and didn't finish because I had to get off on my stop, but yeah, it just asks you questions like how the environment is, are the bus drivers nice, how is it to be using the transport around," Chavez said.

Like everyone else, she'd like the buses to show up on time.

"You can't really time it correctly, like sometimes they'll come 10 minutes after, 10 minutes earlier, so my mom always tells me to come at least 30 minutes before so I won't miss it," Chavez said.

The survey closes at the end of June and answers will be gathered and reviewed in August.

To provide your input on public transportation, click here.