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As pointed out you can travel anywhere in Seattle for $2.50. That about 25 cents a mile or less.
Cars cost 56 cents per mile according to federal car reimbursement.
You apparently have trouble with simple math.
Supposing for the sake of argument that your $2.50 figure is correct, and I have no reason to doubt it--THAT IS THE FARE, NOT THE COST. For the Seattle region, fares paid cover only about 23% of the cost of running buses. FARE=what the rider pays; COST=the amount spent to keep the bus on the road and running. Two different words, and two different numbers.
See the previous link I posted with AAA data to see why your 56 cents figure is off. (hint: 56 cents is a per vehicle mile number, not a per passenger mile number).
Last edited by CaseyB; 12-10-2014 at 04:27 AM..
Reason: rude
AFAIK they are also exempt from the federal fuel tax and I'd imagine it would vary for the state fuel tax.
Yes, the bus is exempt from most if not all taxes, whereas the private car is not. If I could account for that, the disparity between car and bus would go even higher, making the bus an even worse deal. The AAA figure (56 per vehicle mile, or 36 cents per passenger mile) does include gas taxes, sales taxes, license tab taxes, etc.
If we improved public transit, and made it a viable alternative to the car for more people, the cost per passenger mile would likely go down as more people choose to take the bus, instead. Just how much more carpooling would people be willing to take to make the cost per passenger mile of driving drop any more?
Just price it at the proper level and Americans will abandon their SUVs.
The proper price is the market price + the road tax and that road tax should only have to cover the expense of that vehicle. Nothing more, nothing less. .
If we improved public transit, and made it a viable alternative to the car for more people, the cost per passenger mile would likely go down as more people choose to take the bus, instead. Just how much more carpooling would people be willing to take to make the cost per passenger mile of driving drop any more?
Maybe, but to improve public transit, you have to spend money, i.e. INCREASE costs, so you have a catch 22. Then if insufficient numbers switch to the bus, we're in worse shape than before.
The problem is the operating model. Instead of cutting costs like any other company, the transit agency goes to city hall, county council, etc, and ask for more tax money. That's how Amtrak ends up selling a $9.50 cheeseburger that costs them $16 to make.
What is needed are moves towards privatization. I think the ride shares like Uber and Lyft could morph into a very convenient and cost-effective form of mass transit. Imagine a rideshare built around 12 passenger vans that roves around continually picking up and dropping off people that call in along the way. Cost per passenger mile would be phenomenally low. And no more taxpayer subsidy.
No it isn't because you are failing to account for the government subsidies.
pfffffffffffffffft... LOL
You're right, but it's even worse than that. He's confusing the fare(2.50), which for most transit covers only 20-30% of transit costs. The other 75% comes from the taxpayer--tab taxes, gas taxes, etc. That post was so far off base that I doubt he will be back to defend.
Maybe, but to improve public transit, you have to spend money, i.e. INCREASE costs, so you have a catch 22. Then if insufficient numbers switch to the bus, we're in worse shape than before.
The problem is the operating model. Instead of cutting costs like any other company, the transit agency goes to city hall, county council, etc, and ask for more tax money. That's how Amtrak ends up selling a $9.50 cheeseburger that costs them $16 to make.
What is needed are moves towards privatization. I think the ride shares like Uber and Lyft could morph into a very convenient and cost-effective form of mass transit. Imagine a rideshare built around 12 passenger vans that roves around continually picking up and dropping off people that call in along the way. Cost per passenger mile would be phenomenally low. And no more taxpayer subsidy.
Public transportation systems throughout the US were privately owned and operated, until they couldn't compete with gov't subsidized roads. Then, because it was seen as a public good, gov't came in and took them over as they went out of business. This is why privatization will have a hard time working today.
The proper price is the market price + the road tax and that road tax should only have to cover the expense of that vehicle. Nothing more, nothing less. .
Nonsense, the current system is 100% the product of failed government policy. The proper price is what is necessary to produce a transportation system that achieve what government wants, which is dramatically higher use of public transportation.
No it isn't because you are failing to account for the government subsidies.
pfffffffffffffffft... LOL
All energy products are subsidized. The analysis of of the individual's economics.
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