[PRCo] Re: Railway Patronage

[John Swindler]

The long routes provide some real competition for high gas prices.  Bet the 
passenger mile figure is also up.  People can park in Sandy and save some 
real bucks.

My concern is that arrogant upper management will use this as opportunity to 
again alienate the public/taxpayers.  We have already seen this in 
Washington where metrorail has told occasional riders to go take a hike.  We 
are only in business to serve the local residents.  (it costs local 
residents $3 per day to park at Metrorail stations on weekdays.  Visitors 
are charged $8.  I also heard last week that Boston is in process of 
distroying occasional ridership with the "Charlie" card, but I haven't 
checked the process)

John




>From: Fred Schneider <fwschneider at comcast.net>
>Reply-To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
>To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
>Subject: [PRCo] Railway Patronage
>Date: Mon, 1 May 2006 01:22:44 -0400
>
>I just looked at a piece from the Salt Lake City newspaper -- TRAX
>patronage, which was running around 40,000 passengers a day is now up
>to 57,500 on a typical weekday.   Absolutely astounding for a one a
>half line system.   Except for the fact that it is so long and
>therefore that the passenger miles are low, it would be one of the
>best success stories in the nation.    Now if they were charging zone
>fares ... WOW would it be a winner.   I'll have to take a new look at
>it on the way back from Vancouver this summer.
>
>
>