Talking about PRT: > What is the expected annual ridership? The entire Metro Transit ridership > is around 75 million one-way trips a year, maybe less with the fare > increases and route cuts. If one assumes that the prt operating cost is > only $4 million, that means that the fares would need to cover at least > $25 million a year. > > At an average fare of $1.50 (because one model is distance-based), that > would mean 16,666,667 one-way trips annually to make the "nut" of $25 > million. That's about 22% of the current MT ridership, and not necessarily > all of the high ridership routes.
I think it is a mistake to think that PRT and regular bus routes would be serving the same customers. In fact, I highly doubt it. As I said before, I do use the bus to go to and from work. It takes three times as long, and when the bus is late in freezing weather or when it breaks down, it isn't very fun at all. However, I also like the fact that I don't have to drive. Today, when I had to drive to get to an appointment during the day, it took me over an hour to get from St. Paul to Uptown during afternoon rush hour. In this case, it would have taken less time to ride the bus. I don't ride the bus all the time, though. Even though Minneapolis isn't too badly laid out, and I do live in an area where there are many services and establishments I can patronize within a short distance, there isn't enough. And the bus doesn't cut it. I can't take the bus to Cub to buy groceries, I can't take it to get to Target, I can't take it to the U of M library or the gym, I can't really take it anywhere that is on the 4 or 21 lines in a reasonable amount of time. I have to use a car for these little errands that we all must deal with. A PRT system, however, would easily allow me to do all these things. Trip convenience is no longer a factor of how many buses you have to take to get somewhere. You get on where you need to, you get off where you need to. With a well-developed PRT system, households would need one car at the most, and then only for long trips. My wife and I share one car, and while we can do it, it is inconvenient when we both want to go places at the same time in different directions. With PRT, that would never be an issue. According to AAA, it costs between 30 and 40 cents per mile to operate a car, depending on the car. A 20-mile two-way commute, for me, costs $6. PRT fare would presumably be less than this. It would be economical for people who would normally drive to take it. I think that this is something that really should be looked at for our city. It has been too long since Minneapolis was at the forefront of new approaches to making a city work. === Nathan Hunstad CARAG Minneapolis, MN (651) 489-9107 -- Home PGP DH/DSS public key -- http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower/nhpubkey.txt ________________________________________________ Do you Gonzo?! http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower REMINDERS: 1. Think a member has violated the rules? Email the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
