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

[John Swindler]

I would be curious to see what $4 gas will do to ridership on several light rail lines, but we will have to wait awhile for the numbers.
 
After a billion dollars spent, Pittsburgh seems stuck around mid-20k in weekday light rail ridership.
 
John
 
 
> Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 15:17:16 -0700> From: pcc_sr at yahoo.com> Subject: [PRCo] Re: How many people ride transit...> To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org> > ----- 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> > > > > > > _________________________________________________________________> > Time for vacation? WIN what you need- enter now!> > http://www.gowindowslive.com/summergiveaway/?ocid=tag_jlyhm> > > > > > 
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