MARTA fare increase goes into effect today (Savannah: fit in, insurance)

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by waronxmas

MARTA's main revenue stream is sales tax collections. Since sales tax collections are down and there is no other revenue stream, cuts have to be made. You can go through the above (and I'm not saying that finding waste shouldn't be done) but how much money would it result in saving? I suspect that it would not be enough to fix the problem.

If I'm not mistaken the sales tax provides $307 million, which is about 51% of MARTA's revenues.

Another $109 million (18%) comes from fare collections, and another $100 million (17%) comes from federal grants.

The other $80 million or so (15%) comes from real estate leases, financial investments, direct grants from the state of Georgia, advertising, etc.

Salaries and benefits ($332 million) are by the largest operating expense. Which makes sense, considering MARTA has nearly 5,000 employees.

[BackInATL2011]

Originally Posted by rcsteiner

Wow. I don't even pay $95 a month for gas, and I live and work OTP.

(Okay, I probably came close a month or two ago, but I don't now)

The reason people pay that is because those people do not own a car in my opinion, so you can't only compare it with gas costs. Its 95 dollars a month versus gas, loan payments, parking fees, car insurance, and maintenance/repairs done on cars. Promise you, if you could figure out a way to have most of your transportation on the Marta and then use Zip Cars whenever you do need a car then you would be saving a ton of money!

[testa50]

Originally Posted by BackInATL2011

The reason people pay that is because those people do not own a car in my opinion, so you can't only compare it with gas costs. Its 95 dollars a month versus gas, loan payments, parking fees, car insurance, and maintenance/repairs done on cars. Promise you, if you could figure out a way to have most of your transportation on the Marta and then use Zip Cars whenever you do need a car then you would be saving a ton of money!

Not to mention depreciation, which for many folks tops $2k/year (buy a new car every five years for $20k and sell for $10k). That alone could nearly cover MARTA for two people!

[testa50]

Originally Posted by arjay57

Salaries and benefits ($332 million) are by the largest operating expense. Which makes sense, considering MARTA has nearly 5,000 employees.

This crunches to $66,400 in labor costs per employee. Those with knowledge of HR would know that this isn't outrageously high (nothing like $66k take home), but it's not outrageously low either. Still, touching this number will be tricky, and getting it to budge more than maybe 10% would be very hard. At best, you'd probably be fighting to keep it from rising faster than tax revenue.

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by BackInATL2011

The reason people pay that is because those people do not own a car in my opinion, so you can't only compare it with gas costs. Its 95 dollars a month versus gas, loan payments, parking fees, car insurance, and maintenance/repairs done on cars. Promise you, if you could figure out a way to have most of your transportation on the Marta and then use Zip Cars whenever you do need a car then you would be saving a ton of money!

All I have is gas, insurance, and the occasional oil change, but you're right that there are other expenses. Those roughly double (slightly more) my cost, I would estimate. But the end result is transportation that can take me to Chattanooga or Savannah, not just where MARTA goes.

I think I get what I pay for.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by testa50

This crunches to $66,400 in labor costs per employee. Those with knowledge of HR would know that this isn't outrageously high (nothing like $66k take home), but it's not outrageously low either. Still, touching this number will be tricky, and getting it to budge more than maybe 10% would be very hard. At best, you'd probably be fighting to keep it from rising faster than tax revenue.

I agree.

Could MARTA get by with a reduced work force? What 5,000 employee bureaucracy could not?

But when you're talking about a highly unionized, governmental entity we all know that's not going to happen.

[mrmocha413]

October 13th, not today as I mentioned before, my apologies.

[MathmanMathman]

Originally Posted by testa50

This crunches to $66,400 in labor costs per employee. Those with knowledge of HR would know that this isn't outrageously high (nothing like $66k take home), but it's not outrageously low either. Still, touching this number will be tricky, and getting it to budge more than maybe 10% would be very hard. At best, you'd probably be fighting to keep it from rising faster than tax revenue.

I would crunch it to about $83,000 per employee. MARTA had about 4700 employees in 2007 but laid off about 700 in 2010. And some of MARTA's employees are part-time so it would work out even higher for a full-timer. But are retirees included as employees? If not, that'll bring the pay per employee way down.

I wonder if MARTA's pension system might be/become a huge financial burden?

[DONNIEANDDONNA417]

i rode marta for only a little while. I have to admit I did save a lot of money. But waiting for the bus....crowded bus and train....stinky folk...train breaking down practically everyday making me late for work. I couldnt deal with it. Id rather pay for gas ,car ins etc...

[MathmanMathman]

Originally Posted by waronxmas

For items in particular such as looking at the healthcare coverage and pension package of MARTA employees: At what point in our society did it become OK to not reward working people with good healthcare and a retirement package after a life's worth of work? I often hear this meme repeated by Conservatives and for the life of me do not understand why those two things are presented as being wasteful.

It's not being mean. It's simply an issue of whether or not it is sustainable. It amounts to paying people for no work and providing healthcare late in life when their healthcare is at its most expensive. It's doable if there is a large body of workers supporting a small body of retirees. But its looking like the working body is not large enough and the retired body is too big.