If you live in Phoenix remember that Tuesday is the election day to raise the sales tax for 20 years to pay for buses and trains in Phoenix. The last time we had an election like this it lost by only 122 votes.
A few quotes from the Laisse Faire Institute
January 2000 Issue Brief titled
"GOVERNMENT-RUN TRANSIT: A FAILURE...EVERYWHERE"
by
John Semmens
jsemmens@aol.com
Laisse Faire Institute
828 N. Poplar Court
Chandler, Az 85226
Every single transit system in every major American city operates at a loss.
In no case do riders pay even half of the cost of their own transportation. On average, riders pay less then a third of the cost of their own rides.
The "success" of public transit is not that it offers cost-effective transportation, but that it has been able to establish an ongoing parasitic relation with federal and local taxpayers.
Low Ridership - Nationwide, the average is less than 5%. In the Phoenix metropolitan region, transit's share of travel is less then 1%.
Inept Management - Transit bureaucrats are content to run empty buses and trains and congratulate themselfs on the "service" they are providing.
Phoenix transit's operating statistics are distinctly unimpressive. Passenger revenues cover less than 30% of the cost of running the system. On average, three out of every four seats are empty. (that $1.25 one way bus trip costs $4.16 to provide, the round trip $2.50 costs $8.33 to provide)
(After) the proposed expansion ... passenger revenues will cover less then 15% of the cost of running the system. On average, 6 out of every 7 seats will be empty. These forecast statistics are based on the ridership and cost estimates from the Maricopa Association of Governments' Long Range Transportation Plan.
The Laisse Faire Institute says to check out these sites for more info:
http://www.de-railthetax.org
http://www.lpaz.org/StopThatTrain
End of quotes from The Laisse Faire Institute
Personally I think the railroad is just another gift of the taxpayers money to Jerry C to ferry sports fans from Sky Harbor Airport to Jerry C's taxpayer financed ball parks.
In the Sunday Republic on page J2
Jyme Sue Olson, principle planner for the Valey's regional rail project is quoted saying
"We estimate 25 to 30 percent of the ridership will be for special events - people going to ASU, Phoenix Symphony Hall, the arena, the Civic Plaza."
1) She is wrong about the ASU part. The train won't run to ASU in Tempe it will run to the Phoenix border line.
2) And I suspect that most of the 25 to 30 percent using the train won't be taking it from their homes to the Phoenix Symphony Hall, the arena, the Civic Plaza but instead will be people from outside of Arizona taking the train from the Sky Harbor Airport to Diamondbacks or Sun's games.
I say let these people take a cab or rent a car and pay 100% of their transportation costs to the Suns and Diamondback's games, instead of building public trains where they pay 10% of the cost and people living Phoenix pay the other 90% of the costs.