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Posted by
Gold_12th
on Thu Apr 3 13:32:30 2014
edf40wrjww2msgDetailB:detailStr fiogf49gjkf0d At first, Roosevelt Island residents thought it was an elaborate April Fools' Day prank: The 25-cent fare for the island's mini-transit service, known locally as the Red Bus, was being scrapped.
But by Wednesday morning, it was clear they weren't being taken for a ride. The Red Bus is now free.
"We stepped on the bus, and we went to drop our coin in the box," said Claude Hurt Jr., 65 years old, an architect who has lived on Roosevelt Island for nearly 40 years. "And there was no box all of a sudden."
The Red Bus service has served Roosevelt Island since 1976, completing a two-mile loop around the island dozens of times a day and collecting about 2 million fares a year. It was free for 15 years, paid for by New York state until a 25-cent fee was instituted in 1991 by the Roosevelt Island Operating Corp., the state government agency that administers services on the East River island.
The reason for eliminating the humble fee was unusual: Charging a quarter actually cost the corporation money, because it required two employees to collect and maintain the quarters, officials said.
"It's cheaper to make the bus free," said Muneshwar Jagdharry, the operating corporation's comptroller.
The decision allows the Red Bus to join the ranks of a handful of transit options that charge no fee in New York City, including the Staten Island Ferry, the ferry to Governors Island and a free bus service from Battery Park City to South Street Seaport run by the Downtown Alliance.
The fare change won't affect the Roosevelt Island Tram, the scenic aerial connection to Manhattan that costs $2.50 and is run by the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation.
Riders generally take the Red Bus from one of its stops to the tram or the island's single subway station. Some said they appreciated the savings, though they would be modest.
"It's what they used to do so now it's like a novelty, it's exciting," said Angela Montalbano, a resident of Roosevelt Island for 21 years.
Scrapping the fare is expected to save the operating corporation money as the expensive and cumbersome machines for collecting coins had the service on track for a loss, officials said. The buses used electronic fare boxes that were limited in capacity and needed to be emptied twice a week, a process that took vehicles offline and interrupted the service.
Additionally, two people were being paid a yearly salary to collect the quarters, putting further pressure on costs. Both employees have now been reassigned.
"Financially it didn't make much sense," Mr. Jagdharry said of the fare.
The Red Bus is paid for by fees charged to developers who were allowed to build housing on the island.
Raising the cost of the Red Bus wouldn't have worked and may have prompted a harsh community backlash, Mr. Jagdharry said. And Cyril Opperman, the island's director of operations, said bus travel speeds were expected to increase because riders could get on and off the bus without fumbling for coins. Mr. Opperman said the corporation was considering eliminating one of the four buses in the service's fleet because it might not be need any longer.
"That will be an even bigger saving," he said.
Another incentive to remove the bus fare is to encourage more people to use the transit system, particularly with the influx of students expected to live on the island when Cornell Tech's campus, currently under construction, begins holding classes.
The university has agreed that if ridership rates increase beyond a certain level, the campus will provide additional services to and from the site. Each bus costs $750,000, officials said.
Sam Schwartz, a former city transportation commissioner who now works as a consultant, said the island should expect an increase in ridership, now that the bus is free.
"It absolutely does encourage more people to use the system," Mr. Schwartz said. "People would ride it over short distance trips, more than they do now."
The island's operating corporation took to social media to convince people that the original announcement—on Tuesday, April 1—wasn't a hoax.
"It's no April Fool's joke – Starting today, the Red Bus is free to ride!" the operating corporation posted on its Twitter and Facebook accounts.
Riders took to the change quickly, boarding the bus through the back entrance on Wednesday morning during rush hour. Drivers said they no longer had to worry about people trying to sneak on without paying.
"Can't you see the smile on my face?" said Carl Bradford, a Red Bus driver for 34 years. "The stress and everything is gone…you can leave the backdoor open. I've seen it work, it's easier and faster."
Corrections & Amplifications
An earlier version of this article incorrectly said that the Metropolitan Transit Authority runs the Roosevelt Island Tram.
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