What is Air conditioned
recovers only 20% of it's expense from fares
90% empty
and
drives 18 hours a day?
A Jacksonville Transportation Authority Transit Bus!!
Gee, I have a great idea, LET'S RAISE THE FARES!
Idiots!
Transit in Jacksonville (and other Florida Cities) is largely a shuttle for domestics and the poor to get them to and from "the masters big house". With only 20% of the revenue coming from the fare box, it makes no sense to raise fares. This will further damage ridership, making for even more empty seats on already empty buses.
Going the other way, with a marked decrease in fares will fill seats, get cars off the road and make transit more attractive to everyone. The end savings is less wear and tear on the highways, and less wandering (apparent) homeless in the City core. (As if anyone at JTA or City Hall cared) Ask the NFL how to do this, if you have empty seats, you sell them at whatever price will fill them. If they are not sold, you cover the stadium with tarps, ditto for mass-transit!
Of course they will re-visit this in one year. Records show that after the initial storm of protest, people will have to cough up the funds sooner or later and within a year the protest will pass. Ridership will stabilize at a new and slightly lower number then climb slowly. One year out, they will point to the increase in ridership and say, "See, it WORKS!"
Say! If we have 40 empty seats, we COULD charge $40.00 per passenger... after all, we only need ONE!
You know it's funny, isn't JTA the "Authority" that wants to hear from the citizens? They asked for our input, right? They got it, then ignored everything they heard, and went right ahead with the increase... "THE PUBLIC BE DAMNED!"
Ocklawaha