JTA Bus Drivers to Strike?????

[exnewsman]

I stand corrected! Then I would have to ask...........if the ridership is 35k perday, do you consider, since the total population of Jacksonville is around 850,000 (pulled these number from the COJ homepage and not sure it  reflects the past census) does that the number truely reflect JTA's mandate being fully implemented? I am not totally convinced that JTA is up front and honest with their numbers...........I mean, how do we know that is an accurate number? If it is, I would bet money that the majority of riders are concentrated in the north and west side with south and east numbers behind! I base this observation on looking at the number of riders when passing bus's!

I would suppose your geographic determinations are correct. Not sure its all that relevent though where the riders originate as long as the needs are being met for the most part. Transit companies have technology that automatically counts the riders - that's why its trips and not people as most people will at least do a round trip or change buses... But if you add it all up - you're talking about 10-11 million trips/year for just the buses/trolleys. How does that compare to other transit agencies of similar size? Not sure.

[CS Foltz]

exnewsman ....I have seen other info that said 10 to 12k perday. With JTA.......their own figures vary not only from day to day, but from study to study! It is really hard to say definitively just how many there are in real life! With that in mind, how does JTA plan anything or do accurate projections or anything that require solid real life numbers? This is one question that drives me up the wall and then some! With JTA planning additional roads, no rail and pining everything on bus's, I don't have much faith in them at all! Everything revolves around concrete and the creation thereof and it is plain not right! With them ......there are no other options......and this troubles me! They, if anyone, should have vision of what could be rather than what is!

[tufsu1]

the correct number for JTA bus ridership is around 35,000 per day....but remember, the average person makes around 5 trips per day...so there is likely around 4 million person trips made in Jax. every day....which meas that mode split to JTA buses is around 1%

[CS Foltz]

tufsu............I have to ask - just who provides that 35K number?

[tufsu1]

I know you don't trust anyone...but the only entity that would know ridership is JTA....but don't worry, I think they've been pretty honest in showing the decrease of 2,000 riders per day

[stjr]

I think they've been pretty honest in showing the decrease of 2,000 riders per day

That could be a first!  Still waiting for their current financial statements after 2 years.  Tufsu, why don't you tell your JTA buddies this is embarrassing.  Maybe they will listen to you.

http://www.jtafla.com/AboutJTA/showPage.aspx?Sel=32

[CS Foltz]

stjr.........you too huh? Not holding my breath big guy! Numbers for riders appear to change depending on the scenerio! Still no financial data for the past two years and we are to believe their ridership numbers? tufsu, I would have to take those ridership numbers with a barrel of salt and can't blame no one but JTA.......they can take credit for this one!

[Lunican]

Jacksonville bus drivers willing to freeze salaries, but only for one year
JTA wants salary freeze for four years.

By Larry Hannan
A day after voting to strike, the union representing Jacksonville Transportation Authority bus drivers said it was willing to accept a deal that freezes members’ salaries and benefits.

But the union only will accept that freeze for one year, not the four years JTA is demanding, said Ken Kirk, international vice president for the Amalgamated Transit Union.

“We understand that these are bad economic times,” Kirk said. “But locking in a pay freeze for four years hurts our members too much.”

Full Article:
http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2010-08-16/story/jta-bus-drivers-willing-freeze-salaries-only-one-year

[fieldafm]

Just got done using our wonderful public transportation system here in Jax.  
Ran over something on my bike and popped my tire so I decided to use the Riverside Trolley to go into DT instead of driving.

Personally, my income is down about 31% from last year.  I work A LOT more this year, but hey in this economy that's just the way it is unfortunately.  Im fortunate in that I still have gainful employment being in the profession that I am in(banking).  But to have a bunch of bus drivers complain about not getting pay increases when they are just plain rude, not helpful in the least, and speed up the f*cking bus through yellow lights like pure jackasses... well, Im sorry that's just too bad IMO.

[fsujax]

so how was the trolley ride?

[fieldafm]

so how was the trolley ride?

when they are just plain rude, not helpful in the least, and speed up the f*cking bus through yellow lights like pure jackasses

[ChriswUfGator]

Just got done using our wonderful public transportation system here in Jax.   
Ran over something on my bike and popped my tire so I decided to use the Riverside Trolley to go into DT instead of driving.

Personally, my income is down about 31% from last year.  I work A LOT more this year, but hey in this economy that's just the way it is unfortunately.  Im fortunate in that I still have gainful employment being in the profession that I am in(banking).  But to have a bunch of bus drivers complain about not getting pay increases when they are just plain rude, not helpful in the least, and speed up the f*cking bus through yellow lights like pure jackasses... well, Im sorry that's just too bad IMO.

Sounds like a typical JTA experience...

[Dog Walker]

not helpful in the least, and speed up the f*cking bus through yellow lights like pure jackasses...

A number of years ago my German distributor spent six weeks here in Jax both training with me and working on his private pilot's license.  Flight training is MUCH less expensive here than in Europe.

Since he was driving around a lot, I warned him about Jacksonville driver's peculiar habit of running the red lights just after they changed.  I warned him, if he was the first car in line, to count to five before going through the intersection after the light turned green.

He came to my office one day pale faced and shaking.  He said that he remembered my warning when he was first in line downtown.  Waited a couple of seconds and had a city bus run through the red light in front of him.

Seems like somethings haven't changed.

[CS Foltz]

Gee..............just wait till we get BRT up and running! It will be the Grand Prix of Jacksonville!

[ChriswUfGator]

Gee..............just wait till we get BRT up and running! It will be the Grand Prix of Jacksonville!

No kidding. The bus drivers are (I'm sure there are exceptions) generally the biggest bunch of dicks on the road. They try and cut you off, drive like idiots, run lights, etc. It's a good thing their buses are so slow, otherwise their attempts might actually work. And that would be annoying and dangerous, instead of funny but dangerous like it is now.