Cats_small
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co-op popular bus routes? Is this just a naive hippy notion?

I purchase an employee subsidized bus pass, well, it's a u-pass. Therefore I can go all over no matter the price. I'd be willing to purchase a more restrictive bus pass that directly supported the bus that takes me to work and home.

Basically majority of my Seattle life has revolved around the number 73. Commuting every day on this bus for years I always see daily riders.

I have no idea of operational costs of the 73, or the 43. But I wonder if frequent riders could purchase a ~30-40/month bus pass for just the 73 or just the 43 and have that money directly support the cost of operating those routes; insulating them from budget cuts.

If my bus pass is just for commuting, I don't *need* to be able to go everywhere.

internet_jen asked in Public Transportation 10 months ago | Report

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  • Wa_usa_small
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    soundslikepuget

    The paperwork and accounting on this would make it cost prohibitive and revenue-negative. You'd be astounded at the resources it takes to collect and process bus fares and pass purchases. This is why Island County transit operates with a ride free policy county-wide. The amount that they would take in from collecting fares would be less than the cost of counting and complying with money-handling regulations for those fares. So they let everybody ride the bus for free.

    The Seattle/King County area is significantly larger with more transit riders so the accounting costs are worth it to have people pay to ride each time or buy a pass, but there's still a ton of accounting overhead. What you are describing sounds good in principle, but the onerous accounting challenges involved in separating your pass on your route from the rest of the system are too great.

    The best thing you can do to support your particular route is to keep riding it. Routes with high ridership are not going to be cut. And remember, you're doing everybody a favor when you ride transit, that guy with the pickup truck full of construction equipment who can't ride the bus to his job is dealing with less traffic because you are on the bus instead of in your car.

    Save the planet, ride the bus!

    soundslikepuget answered in Public Transportation 10 months ago | Report
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