[PRCo] Re: Trolleyville

[hrbran99 at adelphia.net]

As Harold G. stated, the poor may think differently. Take for instance a two bus, one train trip from Cleveland Heights to Lakewood. Bus 7X, plus Red Line train, plus Bus 55X. Total cost of $4.50 for the one-way trip. Go back home to Cleveland Heights and you have $9.00 invested in your trip. Remember, RTA ended "free transfers" in February, 2002. Both weekly and monthly unlimited ride passes are offered by RTA at $17.50 and $57.00 respectfully.

The main deterent to vandalism, however, is quick cleanup and an effective Transit Police. Signs are posted in revenue vehicles, transit centers, and rail stations telling customers the penalities for acting badly. It seems to work here.

HrB 
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From: Fred Schneider <fschnei at supernet.com>
Date: 2004/06/21 Mon PM 06:23:40 EDT
To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
Subject: [PRCo] Re: Trolleyville

Correct me if I'm wrong but $1.50 today is pretty close to normal.  Now what would be the fare we simply multiplied the nickle in 1900 by an inflationary index for 104 years?  About $5.40.  What is the true cost of the $1.50 ride today ... well assuming that the average rider pays about 30% of the operating costs (and taxes cover the other 70%), then the operating costs come to $5.00 per passenger (with the other $3.50 coming out of income tax).  But we are still
missing 1) the capital costs, 2) the federal, state and local taxes levied against the private companies, and 3) the profits they wanted to make.  Those omissions will probably adjust the cost of service today up to about $7.00 per rider.  So what is the difference between the $5.40 and $7.00 or more?  The affect of having so many fewer passengers on a vehicle today, particularly in the smaller cities.

Therefore I don't see that $1.50 is great enough to have any affect on who rides.  Its pocket change.  Coke machine change.

hrbran99 at adelphia.net wrote:

> Oddly enough, for a large city system, Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (RTA) does not have much of a problem with graffiti. Any which does appear in the buses, cars and trains is cleaned up asap. Then too, RTA does demand the fare (1.50 one-way/no transfers) from everyone. This keeps the @$$es off the public tansit. They would rather walk than pay a $155.00 court summons for failure to pay transit fare. Our transit police are very efficient also.
>
> Too bad Pittsburgh wasn't doing that back in 1975 when I got sucker punched in the right eye over a fare.
>
> HrB
> ============================================================
> From: <ktjosephson at earthlink.net>
> Date: 2004/06/20 Sun PM 10:53:43 EDT
> To: <pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org>
> Subject: [PRCo] Re: Trolleyville
>
> Fred Schneider wrote:
>
> > Running antiques on the street is a scary proposition.  I'm worried about
> the
> > Pittsburgh high floor  ... not about those CA&E hulks.
>
> I believe you have worn out your welcome in Chicago, Fred. ;-)
>
> Seriously, my concern is that a number of young people are so deeply
> entrenched in the "graffiti culture" that they will carve, paint and mark up
> the cars' interiors beyond recognition.
>
> I noticed modern style gang tagging scratched into some of the seatbacks in
> one of OERM's PCCs (I believe it was LARy 3100) a few years ago. I figured
> it was the moronic loser children or young gang banging parents of those
> moronic loser children visiting the museum from L.A. or San Bernadino.
> Charlie Brown (of Long Beach Transit fame) informed me that the mothers of
> the twerps living in the apartments that have encroached upon the land
> surrounding the museum have been known to give the little darlings money and
> send them off for a "train ride" so they can have some private time with
> "Uncle Whoever" is living with them that week.
>
> K.
>
> ============================================================



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