The Wheels on the Bus go Round and Round...
I haven't decided how I feel about this idea but there are definitely some cynical thoughts rise to the surface.The social-liberal side of me thinks that anything that helps get cars off the road and assists working folk to commute more efficiently is a great thing. It's good for the environment and the economy, so what's not to like?
The fiscal conservative in me, however, wants to know who is footing the bill. From what I gather, if they charge a normal fare (whatever that is) and there are some state/federal funds available (which is actually very likely), the City could be on the hook for $6,000 - 25,0000 per year. That's a wide range, but until you know the major funding and whether a surcharge would be added, we will be stuck with wide ranges for cost estimates.
There are a few tough issues that could be stumbling blocks:
Park and Ride. Not only will we need to figure out where commuters shoul park and where the bus should pick them up, we need to know who is going to provide this service and how. Maybe the Guildners want to rent some space. Or the spot of undeveloped land between Ace Hardware and our shiny new strip mall? How about we set aside a portion of Lake Leota now that we have so much land available there? Point is that this is over and above the cost of having a bus come down here four times a day.
Assuming that bus fares are a major part of the funding (and they darn well better be), you are stuck with a formula that requires the City to pony up more $$ if less people use the service. Fare revenues drop, the City has a deficit to make up. Given this, the Council and citizens need to pay very close attention to the details of whatever contract is drawn up and who is responsible for funding deficits. Federal and State grants are set amounts. It will be up to the Cities to determine who is financially responsible.
Speaking of deficits -- I pray to God that the Council members remember that they are negotiating with the Poster Child of Madison Budget Busters. Madison Metro is notorious for being over budget and assuming that the City of Madison will bail them out (which they normally do). They view busing as a sacred right, not as a fee based service - hence the overlapping and inefficient route maps in Madison. The drivers are also some of the highest paid government employees in the State. Evansville needs to think carefully and critically before jumping on this buswagon.
posted by Walton @ 12:45 PM
10 Comments:
Can't anyone see what is happening? The city of Madison is doing what it is good at having city of madison services paid by other communities. Next we will be ponying up 80K for bus shelters
From what I understand the commute would be around an hour and a half. Who in there right mind would go for that. Alot of us have children in daycare. They need to be picked up before 6pm. What if they get sick? Also, who want's to sit at the South transfer point? Ever been there? It's awful! Time is way to short to be spending all that time on a commute.
Jeff, take the long view. With all of those commuters off the road and on the bus, it will take no time at all. Just think of it...they could provide drink service. Little Bottles. The Booze Cruise.
Airplane bloody mary's are not bad my friend.
This would work quite well if you worked by the South Side Transfer point (which is probably very few if any people here in Evansville). If you work on the far west side like I do, Jeff is probably right that it would be 3 hours on a bus for a round trip, which no one will want to do.
If there are that many people that are interested in this, a better idea would be to explore expanding the rideshare program. I imagine it would be more efficient financially and more efficient timewise for the participants.
I need a car for meetings and need to be back here by 3 p.m. to pick up children from school, so neither option works for me personally.
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