|
|
| Re: MTA Bus Ridership Dwindles As Subway Gains (234147) | |||
 |
|||
| Home > BusChat | |||
|
[ Read Responses | Post a New Response | Return to the Index ] |
|
||
|
Re: MTA Bus Ridership Dwindles As Subway Gains |
|
|
Posted by JAzumah on Fri May 27 16:43:34 2011, in response to Re: MTA Bus Ridership Dwindles As Subway Gains, posted by RailBus63 on Fri May 27 12:15:39 2011. It IS that simple. When I went to survey the Outerbridge Park & Ride, my cab driver received a trip from Mid-Island to EWR that paid $77. So, you could pay $10 one way to EWR or you can pay $40-80 for a cab...if you can get one.The thing is that Walder is willing to make improvements as long as the overall budget is "zero growth". This is a big step in the right direction for the MTA. The next big step for them would be to realize that interfering with the private sector is bad public policy. When they get to that point, then I will show them how to serve interstate markets within their existing budget. The MTA has to get to the point of market based service planning in order to avoid catastrophic collapse. NJT is able to use their NYC routes (particularly their commuter network) to SUBSIDIZE their local system. Not a single operating subsidy dollar is used to operate the NYC network. This isn't rocket science. You announce that the S89 service did not meet expectations and will be shut down. Then, you replace the S89 with the X32 (to Newark Airport via Bayonne) and the X33 (to Hoboken) using the same equipment now used on the S89. As you may have noticed, one can charge $5.50 (or more) for each of these routes. That would have positive benefits for the budget. The X32 could run HOURLY to EWR and Newark Penn Station and maintain the connection with the HBLR (you create a round trip ticket on the old transfer paper stock to avoid hitting HBLR riders too hard and allow them a free return to SI). Notice that no new buses were needed. You create a connection to the Northeast Corridor and the intercity passenger rail system. You provide access to a new massive job market at EWR and Elizabeth (airports and seaports always need hard working people with basic skills to work there). You could actually even attract new businesses to SI with fast transit service. The question is whether the MTA can admit that the S89 is a failure. Of its 918 daily passengers, less than 400 cross the Bayonne Bridge. The 144 carried 380 per day in August 2007. The MTA has not grown the market one inch. In fact, the route performs so poorly that it is hidden within the S59's numbers so that it doesn't stick out to anyone with a calculator. Can they continue to justify a $1M subsidy to carry the same amount of people across the Bayonne Bridge as the unsubsidized service or have they had enough? |
|
|
|