[PRCo] Re: Transit Taxation/Tom Johnson

[Fred Schneider]

But we had one standard then, Herb.   You made money.   You made it  
off a 3 cent fare.   You made it hauling funerals.   You made it with  
any charter.

Today there is a distinction.   You loose it with the regular fare  
paying rider but at least you try to make it on a charter.    
Hopefully, if you have a railfan charter, you charge enough to pay  
the fare, the special trip insurance, and the operator's wages.   So  
you should be collecting somewhere around $7.00 per passenger per  
hour.....

On Dec 25, 2006, at 5:12 PM, Herb Brannon wrote:

> (NOTE: Not really PRCo related--delete if necessary)
>
>   Yesterday (12/24) would have normally been a regular day off for  
> me. Off days this pick are Sun/Mon. However, I worked a "Football  
> Flyer" taking fans to see the Browns. The trip was from Brecksville  
> Park and Ride to Lakefront Stadium and return. I had 24 people  
> going and 20 returning. Had bus #1015, a 40' MCI interurban/over- 
> the-road type. The fare is $2.50 per person both going and again  
> returning. Thus, 44 x $2.50 = $110. This was my day off, therefore  
> I got time and a half and the piece of work paid eight (8) hours.  
> Thus 8 hours plus 4 hours (for the half-time) equals 12 hrs x 22.30  
> = $267.60. Also, don't forget the costs associated with moving the  
> bus (fuel, depreciation, etc.) from the garage to the route and  
> back to the garage again. If they had to depend on the farebox  
> these days there would be no transit service at all. Back in Tom  
> Johnson's day the farebox was all they relied upon. No transit tax  
> back then. Wages and operations costs must have been really low
>  then. They ran many more vehicles then than now and usually used a  
> two-man crew per vehicle! Amazing!
> Fred Schneider <fwschneider at comcast.net> wrote:
>   You're telling me that taxation to pay for public transport was  
> alive
> and well even then? I wonder what share of the the cost of the
> ride came out of the fare box. Certainly a lot more in 1901 than
> the 25% or so we consider normal today.
>
> For those who want to read about Tom Johnson (1901-1909), the first
> URL is an Amazon.COM URL for a book on Johnson. The second URL is
> wikipedia's writeup on Johnson and his various transit escapades
> including the Johnson farebox.
>
>
>
> http://www.amazon.com/Tom-Johnson-Times-Clevelands-Greatest/dp/
> 0965987116
>
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_L._Johnson
>
>
> On Dec 25, 2006, at 11:16 AM, Herb Brannon wrote:
>
>> Here's to a happy, safe, and peaceful holiday season.
>>
>> Herb Brannon
>> Cleveland, Ohio
>>
>> Attached photo is Cleveland Public Square with turn-of-the-
>> century (19th to 20th) mayor Tom Johnson (ran as the "3-cent
>> trolley fare" candidate" and won) basking in the glow of this years
>> Christmas lights. Terminal Tower in background.
>>
>> Herb Brannon
>>
>>
>> -- Attached file removed by Ecartis and put at URL below --
>> -- Type: image/pjpeg
>> -- Desc: 196581517-PublicSquare Christmas2006.jpg
>> -- Size: 1699k (1739830 bytes)
>> -- URL : http://lists.dementia.org/files/pittsburgh-railways/ 
>> PublicSquare%20Christmas2006.jpg
>>
>>
>>
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> Herb Brannon
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