[PRCo] Re: Port Authority approves huge cuts in bus, trolley service | Allegheny Co. News - WTAE Home

[John Swindler]

Railways owned power company stock, so a portion of power company profits were going as dividends to railways.  A reorganization took care of that.  We need Ed to explain (correct) this in much more precise terms. But the similarity is that a lot of money is flowing to PAT to support transit operations.  But is some of this going elsewhere??  About a dozen years ago one of the Pittsburgh newspapers asked Paul Skoutalas (?) why PAT was giving money to other organizations.  The vague recollection was that it was to "partnership".  It's an area that I wasn't about to ask any questions.        > Date: Wed, 2 May 2012 08:38:44 -0700
> From: pcc_sr at yahoo.com
> Subject: [PRCo] Re: Port Authority approves huge cuts in bus, trolley service | Allegheny Co. News - WTAE Home
> To: pittsburgh-railways at dementix.org
> 
> Please tell us what Mr.Lybarger wrote.
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>  
> Phil
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> 
>  ----- Original Message -----
> From: John Swindler <j_swindler at hotmail.com>
> To: pittsburgh-railways at dementix.org
> Cc: 
> Sent: Wednesday, May 2, 2012 11:18 AM
> Subject: [PRCo] Re: Port Authority approves huge cuts in bus, trolley service | Allegheny Co. News - WTAE Home
> 
> I like the idea of a mix of support for transit.  The state provides a 'floor', and then the locals can decide how much additional transit service is wanted.  As it is, $184 million can buy a lot of transit service.  That was the state operating subsidy last year for PAT.  But PAT costs are about $150 per vehicle hour, about the same as SEPTA which runs a commuter rail service.  The costs elsewhere is around $70-$90 per vehicle hour.  There's just something strange about PAT's expenses, but could never figure it out.  Remember what Ed once said about West Penn power dividends?? 
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