tiggers comment-17358 2009-11-06T04:12:52Z 2009-11-06T04:12:52Z Just got the flyer on my car today at the Watt/I-80 station. It is starting as a Pilot program next year. I figure it's an extra $180 each year for no increase in service or benefit other that some RT officials get to keep their jobs. If it's "successful" I bet 1.25 will be right around the corner... 1.30, 1.45.. etc etc. So much for my tax dollars and carpool. tiggers 2009-11-06T04:12:52Z BrianW comment-17224 2009-11-04T18:59:47Z 2009-11-04T18:59:47Z Disgusted. Broke. Tired and mad. RT, you take subsidies to run your operation, which is rife with trouble---not just troubled times. Hard to believe that the poor people who rely on buses are being made to pay for your inability to manage dollars and to maintain a Director who gets paid just a little too much and does a whole lot less than I expect him to do. BrianW 2009-11-04T18:59:47Z William Burg comment-11206 2009-07-27T22:06:56Z 2009-07-27T22:06:56Z The problem is that the recovery rate is currently only about 25%: for every 25 cents RT gains at the farebox, they have to spend 75 cents received from state, county and city transit funds. Reducing fares doesn't help, because even though ridership might go up, that increased ridership costs more. Reducing fares means reducing the farebox recovery rate, thus increasing the need for external funding--and it is the external funding that is the crux of the problem. RT can't spend money it does not have. William Burg 2009-07-27T22:06:56Z Ben Ilfeld comment-11185 2009-07-26T16:28:26Z 2009-07-26T16:28:26Z I am interested to know if the loss in fare revenue had been predicted when rate hikes were proposed. What economic analysis led to the rate hikes? Who did this research? Could an argument be made that lower rates would lead to higher ridership and more fare revenue? Ben Ilfeld 2009-07-26T16:28:26Z William Burg comment-11180 2009-07-25T03:32:20Z 2009-07-25T03:32:20Z Having one bus for peak hours and one bus for off hours means that you still have to buy two buses, have two sets of repair parts, maintenance schedules, parking spaces, etcetera. The minor savings for using slightly less fuel in the smaller bus gets eaten up pretty quickly. Infrastructure isn't the problem--there is actually a lot of money for infrastructure, in the form of building stations, routes, and facilities. The problem is operations money, funds to pay for drivers and fuel/electricity and maintenance. Transit funding that pays for operation is a combination of city, county and state funds--part of the cutbacks in service has been because the state pulled a lot of transit money. It isn't just a city issue, because RT serves more than just the city of Sacramento. We pay about a third what San Francisco pays per sales tax dollar on public transit, and about a sixth what Los Angeles County pays. So yes, even though people are constantly upset about taxes (and would still be upset about them no matter how high or low they were) you are right in that we really should buck up and pay for a proper transit system that can serve more people, more often. William Burg 2009-07-25T03:32:20Z Bill Albertson comment-11157 2009-07-24T23:37:08Z 2009-07-24T23:37:08Z No, I agree. I am not saying we should pay less, or that cutting is acceptable in my book. But this city historically has not put a great deal of emphasis on funding infrastructure when it comes down to making hard choices, and I am not expecting any new changes in behavior on the part of regional governnments that are supposed to support RT. My question about running smaller busses is that during the day, outside of rush hour, relates to these busses are usually running empty or nearly so. Personally, I think that the city should raise some tax to fund transit, but people already whinge on about how horrible the existing city tax is on business. I know my business had to pay $35 dollars this year for a tax permit... I'm sure others must be facing the poorhouse in order to deal with such burdens. However, I would be HAPPY to double my business tax if that meant I could use the bus more often and my family wouldn't be shelling out $350 a month in passes (two adults and a child). Bill Albertson 2009-07-24T23:37:08Z William Burg comment-11141 2009-07-24T00:14:17Z 2009-07-24T00:14:17Z The problem is that big buses are needed for peak hours, and are more cost-efficient when full than smaller buses. Light rail is more cost-effective still, during rush hours. The lesson is always the same: You get what you pay for. We don't want to pay for a properly funded transit system, so we get one that is rudimentary at best. We pay far less for our transit system than Los Angels or San Francisco--and so we have far less of a transit system than Los Angeles or San Francisco. It's just that simple. William Burg 2009-07-24T00:14:17Z Bill Albertson comment-11140 2009-07-23T21:38:11Z 2009-07-23T21:38:11Z The staff's preferred option seems fair, if there is no other way of dealing with the shortfall. It bothers me that local governments haven't been able to step up to the plate to help an essential infrastructure service, but I know they are strapped as well. I know that we seem to run a lot of empty busses during the day on certain routes- would smaller busses have been cheaper in the long run? Are there any other options that people know about? Bill Albertson 2009-07-23T21:38:11Z Dale Kooyman comment-11118 2009-07-23T20:46:43Z 2009-07-23T20:46:43Z Is there also a proposal to eliminate "free passes" for RT employees, relatives, etc? Which employees and family members are eligible for a free pass? When an employee leaves RT, is that employee required to turn in his/her pass? When a couple, splits up must the non-RT spouse return the pass? Dale Kooyman 2009-07-23T20:46:43Z thsas comment-9840 2009-06-24T23:34:46Z 2009-06-24T23:34:46Z sounds like theft to me. thsas 2009-06-24T23:34:46Z Dale Kooyman comment-9834 2009-06-24T19:47:50Z 2009-06-24T19:47:50Z Readers might be interested to know that in staff reports prior to this year, the central city residents consistently provided RT with its highest ridership numbers of any comparable area, many riders going a few blocks. Based on that , some years back , RT decided to encourage that ridership even more by implementing a special central city fare. which was just been eliminated. Now they will no longer be able to gather that data, so it will be interesting to see how many cc rider will pay full fare to rides 10 or 12 blocks or less. Dale Kooyman 2009-06-24T19:47:50Z John Hughes comment-9831 2009-06-24T16:33:53Z 2009-06-24T16:33:53Z On the topic of stimulus money, the original deal was that the money -- in RT's case $14 million -- could only be used for capital projects. The idea was that these projects would create jobs. Legislation was added to the Iraq War funding bill that would allow RT and other transit agencies to redirect up to 10 percent to operating expenses. Assuming that President Obama signs the bill, that money might prevent the need for planned service reductions in January. RT will be discussing those January cutbacks at the July 27 board meeting. John Hughes 2009-06-24T16:33:53Z William Burg comment-9820 2009-06-23T23:06:15Z 2009-06-23T23:06:15Z It sounds like you've realized that if you're not part of the problem you're part of the solution, and decided to make yourself a part of the problem. William Burg 2009-06-23T23:06:15Z IDRIVEU5150 comment-9814 2009-06-23T22:32:42Z 2009-06-23T22:32:42Z Ride Free!! Well almost. No matter what RT raises its rate to, you can ride free ...here's how almost everyone is doing it. Sign up for one course at Consumnes River College and go get your student ID card. Then go back to registrars office and tell them you have changed your mind about taking the course and get your money back. Keep the card and ride free on all rt services by simply displaying the card. Good for the full semester, then next semester do the same thing again. RT accepts Cosumnes River College student ID cards as payment in full for fares. Now get off ur duff and do it! IDRIVEU5150 2009-06-23T22:32:42Z Dale Kooyman comment-9813 2009-06-23T22:07:54Z 2009-06-23T22:07:54Z Staff's lack of providing specific projected cost savings in some of the proposals bothered me. Just ONE simple example, I could find nothing (and maybe I missed it) in the reports that told how many holders of life time passes there are (these folks have to be over 75), how many are still living, and how often they use the passes. Nor did I read that estimated projected revenue that RT would receive from those individuals if the passes were terminated. Apparently, staff assumed that those pass holders will be riders and pay for fares in the future if they take them away now--a risky assumption. Further a substitute idea could have been introduced to charge lifetime pass holders and future holders, say $10 or $20 for the rest of their lives. That would have generated immediate revenue for users--if indeed, there are very many of them. Dale Kooyman 2009-06-23T22:07:54Z Top Cat 2808 comment-9811 2009-06-23T21:27:12Z 2009-06-23T21:27:12Z I'm very concerned about these rising rates and falls in services. Surely, directing stimulus moneys to keep public transportation readily available would be wise. Public transportation allows us to work and derive our pleasures LOCALLY and lessens the need for so very many of us to have private cars with the myriad expenses they entail. Public transportation is Green. Bright, glowing, magnificent GREEN! Top Cat 2808 2009-06-23T21:27:12Z thsas comment-9712 2009-06-21T19:44:42Z 2009-06-21T19:44:42Z One that has no competition. thsas 2009-06-21T19:44:42Z Steven Bourasa comment-9707 2009-06-21T10:25:26Z 2009-06-21T10:25:26Z Wow. Let's raise the price and offer less service. What kind of business model is that? Steven Bourasa 2009-06-21T10:25:26Z Joe Gamble comment-9698 2009-06-20T09:04:18Z 2009-06-20T09:04:18Z My spin on charging for parking- I think RT should ONLY charge for parking if the area has reasonable and sufficient security measures. Imagine paying the paltry sum of $1.00 to park at the Roseville Rd. Station at 5AM, only to arrive at 5PM to a missing catalytic converter. Another option, which has been discussed or even implemented in Dallas is charging parking fee's to people who drive from other Counties to District owned Park & Ride lot's. If you live in Sacramento County, you park for free or a nominal fee. If you drive your car into Sacramento County from El Dorado or Placer Counties to park & ride at RT lots, you pay a premium over what other who reside in the presiding County do. Joe Gamble 2009-06-20T09:04:18Z Joe Gamble comment-9565 2009-06-17T09:34:15Z 2009-06-17T09:34:15Z Nope Joe Gamble 2009-06-17T09:34:15Z Steven Bourasa comment-9200 2009-06-09T21:57:09Z 2009-06-09T21:57:09Z The City of Sacramento must consider public transportation to be a key asset to the city. Let's divert city funds from less important project goals to meet the $6 million shortfall. Let's use $2 million from the the budget allocated to the revitalization of K Street. A populated light rail system is essential to the growth of the K Street mall shoppes. Let's use another $2 million from the Old Railyard Project. Same benefit applies. Finally, it would be nice if we could borrow another cool $2 million from the New $50 million Sacramento Courthouse. OR, perhaps we could delay the demolition and takeover of Cal Expo for another couple years. Steven Bourasa 2009-06-09T21:57:09Z Steven Bourasa comment-9201 2009-06-09T21:56:19Z 2009-06-09T21:56:19Z The Light Rail is the Ultimate Electric Vehicle, Baby!! Steven Bourasa 2009-06-09T21:56:19Z Joel Rosenberg comment-9193 2009-06-09T17:35:25Z 2009-06-09T17:35:25Z I'm curious in reading that study. Got a link? Joel Rosenberg 2009-06-09T17:35:25Z The Parrhesiac comment-9184 2009-06-09T16:58:50Z 2009-06-09T16:58:50Z Hey Greenies and Utopian fantasists...a recent study out of UC Davis shows that riding the train or bus can be more polluting that driving an SUV... awwwwwwwwww The Parrhesiac 2009-06-09T16:58:50Z Pinelli comment-9088 2009-06-08T16:51:27Z 2009-06-08T16:51:27Z How very disconcerting that the people who need it most continue to be denied basic services. Making access to affordable transportation even harder in this economic climate will further depress the employment market, cause increased illness and crime, and keep people from becoming educated or even interested in their communities. We can continue to subsidize people driving and contributing to the destruction of the environment (and these long-term costs/impacts are never truly figured into the equation), but we won't let poor people do anything but zone out to crappy television at home. Our cultures' priorities are the most despicable, inhumane and unjust--from healthcare to transportation, the whole paradigm is just whack! Pinelli 2009-06-08T16:51:27Z William Burg comment-8862 2009-06-05T00:21:36Z 2009-06-05T00:21:36Z Talk to your employer: some employers (most notably the state of California) offer a subsidized monthly pass program through RT that costs about $35 a month--and it works on buses as well as light rail! RT can't really afford to lower their prices. Right now their farebox recovery is about 25%: for every 25 cents in fares they collect, they have to spend $1.00 in operating costs. The remaining 75 cents is paid for by various tax funds, all of which are being cut. If you have less money than you need to operate, cutting fares is impossible--it would increase ridership, but since RT's costs would go up far more than the fares can supply, it does them no good to increase ridership. William Burg 2009-06-05T00:21:36Z Steven Bourasa comment-8578 2009-05-30T23:34:33Z 2009-05-30T23:34:33Z Instead of raising the fare prices to unfair levels, RT needs to lower prices and rethink their game plan. I would like to see a special monthly pass for light rail riders at a significantly lower price; how about $35.00. I hardly ever use the bus, but I would use light rail everyday for my work commute. Besides, it costs a lot less to operate the lightrail, per mile, than it costs to operate the bus; bus service costs about 4 times as much. That's the ticket! Offer a menu of monthly pass options; A lightrail pass, a bus pass and the lightrail/bus combo. That's forward thinking in today's economy! Steven Bourasa 2009-05-30T23:34:33Z Seth Sandronsky comment-8568 2009-05-30T16:59:54Z 2009-05-30T16:59:54Z RT spending cuts are sure to lower local living standards for current riders. Seth Sandronsky 2009-05-30T16:59:54Z Angela Murray comment-8563 2009-05-30T06:40:38Z 2009-05-30T06:40:38Z Thank you for the insightful and objective article, as well as the link. Based on my experience riding RT the past two years, I believe the fares are well worth the cost - I just wish there was another way to fundraise or balance the budget. When fares increase too much, RT loses riders, and the fares do not generate as much renvenue as might be otherwise anticipated, and the cycle of falling shor tof budget and raising rates continues. Angela Murray 2009-05-30T06:40:38Z Angela Murray comment-6165 2009-04-15T00:30:28Z 2009-04-15T00:30:28Z This is disappointing - I am a proponent of Regional Transit and the excellent job they do with the money they have, but can't make sense of this decision. Angela Murray 2009-04-15T00:30:28Z John Day comment-6098 2009-04-14T17:11:14Z 2009-04-14T17:11:14Z You bet... there you go, this is silly. Until the RT runs every 10 min during commuter times and brings folks from the outside this is just bally hoo. go get 'em Mr. politician. Don't think, just act. John Day 2009-04-14T17:11:14Z The Parrhesiac comment-6094 2009-04-14T14:49:04Z 2009-04-14T14:49:04Z Lol this is news? This is what you get when you vote in tax-and-spend liberals. The Parrhesiac 2009-04-14T14:49:04Z Paul Cox comment-4863 2009-03-21T00:56:34Z 2009-03-21T00:56:34Z So...now that RT is getting all this money, our fares will be going down right? Paul Cox 2009-03-21T00:56:34Z John Hughes comment-4835 2009-03-20T20:14:35Z 2009-03-20T20:14:35Z I think you will find DNA and South Line expansion funded through Federal Transit Administration. Some of the very first actual construction will be funded with funds from the high-speed rail proposition, which set aside a percentage of integration of that project with local transit. John Hughes 2009-03-20T20:14:35Z Geoff Samek comment-4824 2009-03-20T06:49:29Z 2009-03-20T06:49:29Z My question is, how is the new DNA line being funded? Is there no place in the stimulus for that line's creation? Or have funds to start that project already been secured? Geoff Samek 2009-03-20T06:49:29Z Harry Osibin comment-4692 2009-03-17T18:30:21Z 2009-03-17T18:30:21Z "Sacramento Regional Transit has quietly opened an email alert system for its Neighborhood Ride bus routes." Doesn't RT have a press office? Nice post, John. Harry Osibin 2009-03-17T18:30:21Z Paul Cox comment-4672 2009-03-17T18:19:08Z 2009-03-17T18:19:08Z I like how it's none of the most traveled routes...2, 6, 30, 51, 67, or 68 Paul Cox 2009-03-17T18:19:08Z TCSP comment-3845 2009-02-24T23:23:40Z 2009-02-24T23:23:40Z I would love to use RT to commute to and from work...but the problem is, "you can't get there from here" which is a common problem with RT...how can I use a service that can't meet my needs?? TCSP 2009-02-24T23:23:40Z Paul Cox comment-3777 2009-02-23T18:32:38Z 2009-02-23T18:32:38Z RT needs to make all documents available online if it intends to say that the fees will not hinder public access. Making them available online wouldn't be a huge undertaking, and if someone is doing research and has to request numerous documents, I can see that as being potentially much more of an inconvenience and in some cases a hindrance to their abilities, by charging them $25 per document. If you needed the last 8 years, that's $200! F* that. Btw, was the focus group paper written by people who had a grasp of the English language? "...these groups was made up of..." WERE "...he severally underestimated the number..." SEVERELY The focus group consisted of 20 people. I feel that it would be much more helpful and realistic to determine loss in ridership, to conduct a phone survey of 500 random people. It would give a good idea of not only how many riders would be lost, but how many have been lost in the past due to fare increases, as well as the percentage that actually ride RT. Paul Cox 2009-02-23T18:32:38Z Harry Osibin comment-3746 2009-02-21T04:54:08Z 2009-02-21T04:54:08Z Although I agree completely with Mark, I ask visa vis public transit, "Who cares?" Public transit is perhaps the ultimate societal field leveler and in most cases it's a bargain when compared to an 11 mpg Tahoe. Yet it is derided and ridiculed and fiscally starved and is a cultural stepchild as far as public respect. We Americans love our shiny vehicles and like to look down on others. Of course, from a bus you look down on a Suburban. Losing Sunday service would be "embarrassing", Mayor Johnson. Maybe no one has said it quite this way, but a world class city has night and weekend public transit service. I am ambivalent about "free" parking. Parking is not 'free" anywhere; the cost is just hidden. Harry Osibin 2009-02-21T04:54:08Z Mark Forsyth comment-3734 2009-02-20T17:58:48Z 2009-02-20T17:58:48Z What will people, who depend on RT for mobilization, do if Sunday is eliminated? How many routes are going to get cut? This is a sad article, and a sad reality for Sacramento. Mark Forsyth 2009-02-20T17:58:48Z californiaking comment-3627 2009-02-17T18:50:58Z 2009-02-17T18:50:58Z www.furloughsolution.com don't wait for politicians to pay you when they are collecting their own paychecks. Take control! californiaking 2009-02-17T18:50:58Z Steven Maviglio comment-3533 2009-02-14T06:15:26Z 2009-02-14T06:15:26Z Do more than that: call your Assemblyman and State Senate president Pro Tem Steinberg and share your views. They need to hear it. Steven Maviglio 2009-02-14T06:15:26Z Mark Forsyth comment-3546 2009-02-14T00:41:00Z 2009-02-14T00:41:00Z Oh, and I just saw one of many upcoming signs posted at the bus stop at 14th and J saying "Bus Stop Discontinued" Great. I used that bus stop :( Mark Forsyth 2009-02-14T00:41:00Z Raoul Kleven comment-3528 2009-02-14T00:06:12Z 2009-02-14T00:06:12Z This is making me shake with rage. I would gladly go and shout myself hoarse at the capitol if I thought it would change anything. Raoul Kleven 2009-02-14T00:06:12Z Mark Forsyth comment-3526 2009-02-13T21:25:53Z 2009-02-13T21:25:53Z Ouch! As a transit rider I am very distraught to hear this news. I knew there were cuts in the budget, I didn't realize they planned to completely eliminate funding! The state has priorities all wrong. Public transportation in this state has always been the first thing to go and it's a damn shame that, just when it seemed more emphasis was being placed on public transit, it is being thrown to the curb yet again. Mark Forsyth 2009-02-13T21:25:53Z Ben Ilfeld comment-3396 2009-02-12T10:12:03Z 2009-02-12T10:12:03Z I was just having a conversation about the DNA line tonight. Good to see it is moving forward. Ben Ilfeld 2009-02-12T10:12:03Z David Watts Barton comment-3344 2009-02-10T00:41:51Z 2009-02-10T00:41:51Z And tax cuts amounting to nearly $300 billion. Hey, it worked so well over the last eight years, why not more? David Watts Barton 2009-02-10T00:41:51Z John Hughes comment-3099 2009-02-06T07:23:20Z 2009-02-06T07:23:20Z Good luck with that, Paul. RT isn't the most cooperative organization. Their concept of "public" as in "public records" is pretty much limited to mainstream media. However, if you do get the documents, be sure to put them up at http://www.scribd.com/ or some other place where everyone can have a look. John Hughes 2009-02-06T07:23:20Z Paul Cox comment-3135 2009-02-05T18:37:51Z 2009-02-05T18:37:51Z Oh wow...I have so many questions. I've actually already sent a public records request to RT, because I think their claims of lower budgets are faulty from what I've heard, so I'd like to research it for myself and write something up for this site. Paul Cox 2009-02-05T18:37:51Z Mark Forsyth comment-3130 2009-02-05T18:26:17Z 2009-02-05T18:26:17Z very interesting, thanks. Yesterday I was lucky enough to be on the 6pm 34 and the driver became lost! It caused a 30 min delay but the spirits of the riders were still high. strange bus ride. Mark Forsyth 2009-02-05T18:26:17Z