[PRCo] Re: How many people ride transit...

[Phillip Clark Campbell]

----- Original Message ----

> From: John Swindler <j_swindler at hotmail.com>
> To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
> Sent: Friday, August 1, 2008 12:54:43 PM
> Subject: [PRCo] Re: How many people ride transit...
> 
> 
> Hi Fred
> 
> Within Pennsylvania, as SEPTA goes, so goes the state.  At the national level, 
> as New York City goes, so goes the country.
> 
> Remember when APTA was advertising the increase in public transit ridership in 
> the US several years ago, and how the percentage increase exceeded the 
> percentage increase for autos.  That was due to New York City, and primarily the 
> subway.  It was a time when there was a large influx of immigrants - 
> particularly eastern Europe.
> 
> For Pittsburgh and the T, comparing with New York City is meaningless.  Two 
> different leagues.  The better comparison is with their peers, and that is where 
> there are some unexpected numbers.  Should be in the archives.

Not unlike comparing transit and cherry pie isn't it.  My initial reaction to comparison was the same as yours, Mr.Swindler, but in reality it seems that Mr.Schneider is not making a comparison per se but finds the ridership figures staggering in NY - Pgh is mentioned to give a sense of these staggering numbers.

This gives a whole new dimension to spam-cans or sardine-cans doesn't it.


Phil



> 
> Also, might want to check your PAT bus number of 60,000 - sounds like you got a 
> garage daily ridership number rather then the system number.
> 
> John
> > To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org> From: fwschneider at comcast.net> Subject: 
> [PRCo] How many people ride transit...> Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 14:27:20 -0400> > 
> While we look about Pittsburgh and how many people ride the T ... > something 
> over 25,000 a day in fiscal year 2006 according to the > figures PAT submitted 
> to the FTA ... now think for a few seconds > about what big really is.> New York 
> City Transit Authority counts over 6 million fares on a > normal weekday in the 
> subways ... that is 1 thousand 5 hundred times > more than Pittsburgh.> > They 
> also moved 3 million more people a day on buses compared to > PAT's 60,000.> > 
> It simply boggles the mind.> > When a friend of mine pointed out that mass 
> transit was a "big city > thing," I studied it to prove or disprove his point. 
> The most > recent nationwide data I could get by company was the 1907 U. S. > 
> census of electric railways. After I put every company's passenger > counts in a 
> spreadsheet arrayed by city size, and in!
>   1907 I assumed > that a city of 100,000 or more was a BIG CITY, I found that 
> 80 > percent of the nickels fell into conductor's mitts in big cities. My > 
> friend, curmudgeon first class from New Jersey, was absolutely > correct. And 
> looking at the numbers for New York, Washington, > Chicago ... isn't has not 
> changed. If anything, it might be 90 > percent today.> > By the way, if any of 
> you want a list of all the current light rail > lines and subway lines in the 
> United States, I am attaching it to > this message. The server should pull it 
> off and make a separate > link to it. It is a Excel file so you will need Excel 
> to open it. > However, the April 27th version of the same list is on the East 
> Penn > Traction Club web site and this one will eventually get there.> > If any 
> one wants updated passenger figures for all the light rail > lines, badger me 
> and I might just put that on this web site too. I'm > testing the waters.> > 
> Fred Schneider> > > > > > -- Attached file removed !
> by Ecartis and put at URL below --> -- Type: application/octet-stream>
> -- Size: 239k (244736 bytes)> -- URL : 
> http://lists.dementia.org/files/pittsburgh-railways/LRT-HEAVY%20RAIL%20CHRONOLOGY72708.xls> 
> > > 
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