CapMetro trying to prop up declining ridership (Austin, Round Rock: 2013, attorney)

[Roadking2003]

The paper reported today that ridership is 12.4 percent BELOW 2013. So they plan to give free rides to increase ridership.

Only in government would anybody claim success by giving their product away.

Riders are only paying 9.6% of the operating costs (even less if capital investment is included) so maybe they make all of it "free". Free for riders, paid for by the taxpayers.

[Trainwreck20]

Originally Posted by Roadking2003

The paper reported today that ridership is 12.4 percent BELOW 2013. So they plan to give free rides to increase ridership.

Only in government would anybody claim success by giving their product away.

Riders are only paying 9.6% of the operating costs (even less if capital investment is included) so maybe they make all of it "free". Free for riders, paid for by the taxpayers.

Part of the 'problem' is that the people that ride the buses are those least able to pay. My brother is Asperger's and lives just 'above the line'. He hasn't owned a car in decades but manages to keep a job, in a large part due to the availability of buses. Without the buses, he would almost certainly be unemployed and likely homeless. He would also likely be depending on various government programs (if he managed to access them), whereas now he is self-sufficient.

I have ridden the buses with him - he is not unique. If you want to increase the number of people on welfare and/or homeless, get rid of the buses.

[ashbeeigh]

Originally Posted by Trainwreck20

Part of the 'problem' is that the people that ride the buses are those least able to pay.

Agreed. Bus passes are a hot commodity in the social services world. I've had clients literally only come to my office when they are out of money and can't pay for their bus passes. Now, is that an issue of budgeting and all those extra things? Sure. But it's still something needed.

[centralaustinite]

I'm excited to see the new routes, my teens will likely ride the buses to work and internships this summer and my baby is ready for a free train ride to the end of the line and back.

Free rides are a common strategy of transit agencies, in fact back when Cap Metro launched the whole thing was free for at least a couple of years. On my very first trip to Austin as a grad student our car broke down and we relied on free rides on Cap Metro buses to get around, I've never forgotten.

[Austin97]

Ive tried to convince the CEO of rideaustin to partner with cap metro to provide rideshare services as part of the public transit strategy.

[riaelise]

It's because there are so many people who want to see mass transit fail and are wedded to their cars. The implementation of the Round Rock service is a perfect example of this -

- elitist yokel locals complaining about "riff raff" coming to their leafy suburbs due to bus routes (there is absolutely no corroborating evidence of this)
- the usual whiners "I hate socialism, so I hate buses because they are coming out of MY property taxes. If people want to commute to their Austin jobs let them take a Uber/Lyft which THEY can pay for" (never mind that we all pay taxes, including my household, which pays five figure property taxes that rise every year whether transit is implemented or not. Also never mind that the pilot program came out of a general fund and that RR isn't hurting when it comes to fiscal health)
- again, the elitist suburbanites "Round Rock is turning into Austin North" (never mind that suburbs that offer transit service have become even more well off - case in point, Leander is a blip on the radar now due mainly to metrorail. Years ago, it was just another burb with some nice views in places and where you could own lots of land on the cheap)

I take the 980 regularly and will support it until it dies. It literally has made my commute ten times better going down the managed lane. It still takes me an hour to get home but at least it stops close to where I work, there are minimal stops (two, including the last one), and my time is spent sleeping instead of sitting in traffic. I live 12 minutes from the park and ride. I know many stay at home moms and retirees that take advantage of the local bus routes and there are many who would like to but can't due to funding constraints (due to limited funding, the schedules aren't ideal for a number of people).

The sad reality (as shown by the responses above) is that the idea of mass transit and the opportunity it brings is foreign here and there are so many people who are unwilling to give. People don't give a crap about more people being able to see their families. People don't give a crap that mass transit can and has helped those in our population who need it the most - the elderly and those who can't afford driving into low wage jobs in Austin. It costs employees at our firm over 200$ a month in parking (firm foots nothing) whether you are an attorney or a mailroom worker. then there's the wear and tear on your car. Meanwhile, the bus costs me 96.25. If it went up, I'd still pay it just on the parking savings alone.

[karpo1]

Originally Posted by riaelise

Meanwhile, the bus costs me 96.25. If it went up, I'd still pay it just on the parking savings alone.

For you travel costs 96.25$, rest of the community it costs 962.50$. Maybe just be happy that people subsidy your inexpensive travelling.

[Trainwreck20]

Originally Posted by karpo1

For you travel costs 96.25$, rest of the community it costs 962.50$. Maybe just be happy that people subsidy your inexpensive travelling.

...maybe the community pays for a service it doesn't use, but the larger community saves even more than that in other social services. While a bus system should be run as efficiently as possible within certain constraints, the constraints are different than a private company.

By the way, I don't drive on I-35 - why don't we just shut it down? It doesn't do ME any good...or does it?

[riaelise]

Originally Posted by Trainwreck20

...maybe the community pays for a service it doesn't use, but the larger community saves even more than that in other social services. While a bus system should be run as efficiently as possible within certain constraints, the constraints are different than a private company.

By the way, I don't drive on I-35 - why don't we just shut it down? It doesn't do ME any good...or does it?

Exactly. The transit routes are available for everyone's use. The only way that it can help more people is through usage. Don't use it, you inevitably bite your own self in the ass because cars break down. It sure would be nice to have alternative means to get to work, wouldn't it? If my car is KO'd, at least I can get to the park and ride and get to work. Most people in my office live south of the river so no one is available to carpool me into work. How about people like my mom? She's a senior, retired. Let's say if her car is out of commission and she needs to get to the post office? thanks to Georgetown's bus pilot program, which stops at major places like the post office, she can get there.

We pay lots of money in taxes like everyone else. We too don't approve of everything that our taxes pay but it's a part of life if you want a have a real city and not some horse and buggy town.
Our community has a robust police and fire department. Instead of whining, people need to give it a chance.

[Trainwreck20]

I will point out that the bus service is almost useless for me due to where I start and end on my daily commute to work. My drive time is ~7 miles and about 12 minutes on a 'typical' day. If I chose to ride the bus, it would be about and hour and twenty minutes and involve a couple miles of walking, give or take. If there were actual a bus that went from anywhere near my home to anywhere near where I worked, I would seriously prefer to take a bus.

As it is, another 'waste' of money (bike paths) is almost to the point that I can ride my bike in to work. Once the kids are out of school this summer, I plan to start a few days a week. That is as much for my health as for savings on car wear-n-tear and stressful driving, but all are benefits....