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  #121  
Old Posted Aug 31, 2018, 3:59 PM
Tcmetro Tcmetro is offline
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Considering that most smaller cities have farebox ratios of 10-30% I can't imagine that increasing the fares would really provide enough funds for better service.

Also considering that service is so bad in so many cities, even doubled service levels would still be unattractive.
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  #122  
Old Posted Aug 31, 2018, 4:41 PM
jmecklenborg jmecklenborg is offline
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Originally Posted by Tcmetro View Post
Considering that most smaller cities have farebox ratios of 10-30% I can't imagine that increasing the fares would really provide enough funds for better service.

Also considering that service is so bad in so many cities, even doubled service levels would still be unattractive.
Nashville's service levels are terrible. Few buses run more than once per hour, even during rush hour.
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  #123  
Old Posted Sep 3, 2018, 12:04 AM
lrt's friend lrt's friend is offline
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Originally Posted by jmecklenborg View Post
Nashville's service levels are terrible. Few buses run more than once per hour, even during rush hour.
Token service only for the desperate.
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  #124  
Old Posted Sep 4, 2018, 6:43 PM
jmecklenborg jmecklenborg is offline
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Originally Posted by lrt's friend View Post
Token service only for the desperate.
It took an act of the Tennessee state legislature to enable Nashville/Davidson County to put a transit tax on the ballot. It was not even possible to raise taxes to support bus system expansion until 2016 or 2017.

I believe that the state of Kentucky still suffers from this dilemma. The state point blank prohibits the existence of a local transit tax, either by a county or a municipality. So funds for transit have to come out of general revenue.

So when people out there lazily say that an area needs to "improve their bus service before adding rail", they often don't realize that it's impossible to do so without a herculean effort at the statehouse.

They don't realize that oil companies, car dealerships, etc., have huge clout in local and state politics whereas transit riders have nobody championing their cause. And when somebody does step up, they are smeared.
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  #125  
Old Posted Sep 15, 2018, 5:40 PM
jmecklenborg jmecklenborg is offline
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The Tennessean just did a detailed report on developers getting free taxpayer-funded parking garages:
https://www.tennessean.com/story/mon...rs/1261062002/

So to revisit my earlier comments, there is always magic money out there for roads and new parking garages, with minimal awareness from the public, and certainly no public vote. But any alternative to that channeling of public money into the pockets of people born into money becomes the subject of an attack whereby the rich trick the middle class into thinking the poor are going to take all their money, when really it's the opposite.
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  #126  
Old Posted Sep 15, 2018, 9:43 PM
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Doady Doady is offline
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Originally Posted by jmecklenborg View Post
It took an act of the Tennessee state legislature to enable Nashville/Davidson County to put a transit tax on the ballot. It was not even possible to raise taxes to support bus system expansion until 2016 or 2017.

I believe that the state of Kentucky still suffers from this dilemma. The state point blank prohibits the existence of a local transit tax, either by a county or a municipality. So funds for transit have to come out of general revenue.

So when people out there lazily say that an area needs to "improve their bus service before adding rail", they often don't realize that it's impossible to do so without a herculean effort at the statehouse.

They don't realize that oil companies, car dealerships, etc., have huge clout in local and state politics whereas transit riders have nobody championing their cause. And when somebody does step up, they are smeared.
If getting funding for improving bus service requires a "herculean effort" then forget about building rail, simple as that. It's not lazy, it's just common sense. Smaller step is easier than bigger step.

Nashville MTA already increased service by 49% and increased ridership 60% since 2004. They already accomplished the "impossible". They can do it again.
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  #127  
Old Posted Sep 17, 2018, 7:27 PM
jmecklenborg jmecklenborg is offline
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Originally Posted by Doady View Post
If getting funding for improving bus service requires a "herculean effort" then forget about building rail, simple as that. It's not lazy, it's just common sense. Smaller step is easier than bigger step.

You have obviously never worked in politics. Transit campaigns are vicious. The "winners" (the opposition campaign) run the losers out of town. So the stakes are huge, and you don't risk permanent damage to your professional life for a tiny improvement to bus service.
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