Today was the first day with the new system. I spent much of the day running errands and I have to say there are some improvements.
Even without the 41 it's not that much longer for me to get to the 31 to downtown at the co-op (runs every 30 minutes) or the 9x on Harrison (runs every 15 minutes). The 9x is fast. It gets to OTC and LTC quickly and I can connect to everything from one of those.
For example, if I'm going to the Amtrak station I can go 9x to LTC and take the 90 from there to the station. The 90 runs every half hour and altogether it takes me about 45 minutes total travel time from my house to the Amtrak instead of the hour and thirty minutes it used to take. That's huge. The 32 down Division also instantly turns into the 76 at SPSCC and that gets within a mile of the Amtrak for a total travel time close to 45 minutes. We've had threads for years complaining about the slow bus from the Amtrak.
There are some folks who got screwed, for instance the people who live far up Division. I don't know why they didn't keep the 41, it was so busy. But I think most people will like the new system. One other thing people have been complaining about with the new system is the number of transfers. No one likes having to switch buses. But with these high frequencies and more direct faster routes it might actually save you time. Some of the old routes would take forever.