Kudos to Mayor Wes Perry
Midland City Council members indicated a variety of misgivings about the EZ Rider bus system during a Tuesday round-table discussion but nonetheless voted almost unanimously to let Midland-Odessa Urban Transit District accept $4 million in federal stimulus funds to buy new buses and other equipment.
Kind of like I have misgivings about eating an entire gallon of Blue Bell ice cream even though it was free.
Apparently, Mayor Perry is the only one on the entire council now who understands that the only thing stimulated by the EZ Rider transportation system getting access to $4 million in "Stimulus" money will be its ability to cost the taxpayers even more money in the future.
Let us stipulate that these transportation systems are not supposed to make money.
But who on the council can defend taking federal tax dollars to expand a system by making capital purchases so that it will cost even more to operate and doing this when ridership is trending downward?
You have to figure that the most "rider" rich routes have already been selected so any additional routes will produce decreasing marginal returns on riders. While we add bigger and more expensive busses.
Here is what is most alarming: Those voting to take Porkulus money on the council rightly had.....um.....misgivings about doing so. Most probably because they knew that it wouldn't work, if by "work" one means increase the marginal ridership of EZ Rider.
But they took it anyway. They saw it as free money.
They actually cast a vote to take tax money and plow it in to something they knew wasn't a good and effective use of the money because the alternative.......leaving $4 million on the table.....was inconceivable to them.
This in Midland, Texas. "Fiscally conservative" Republican stronghold Midland, Texas.
Between this kind of nonsense and our own "fiscally conservative" Congressman showing up pretty high on the "earmarker" list you can begin to see why the Republicans are in such dire straits as a party right now.
It is because nothing over the past four or five years would indicate that Republicanism has anything at all to do with conservatism.
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15 Comments
All things remaining equal, a transportation system that is more efficient is better.
And in a context that demands that there be an EZ Rider system a vote to be more efficient makes sense.
But you said yourself, "...when you look at how many individuals actually ride the bus the cost/ rider is not justifiable."
This is an argument for doing away with the EZ Rider system, not for expanding it...regardless of the relative efficiency.
But "Other People's Money" is available to enable us to take the path of least resistance. The opportunity is jumped at by some and taken reluctantly by others.
Money that should not be spent at all used to alleviate the true cost of a program/project to enough people enough of the time.
This is the precise mechanism that makes Pork Barrel spending not just possible but permanent.
And it now works just as well in Midland, Texas as it does in Jersey City.
With all due respect , Mr. Dufford , when the city took the first nickle from the Federal Government for this "Bus System" did it not become the " Federal Government Bus System" rather than the "Midland Bus System"?
You and I have both been aroung the block and know there is no "Free Lunch"! Everything has strings .
You state that the day the subsidies stop will be the day public transportation in the Basin will be finished..yeah..If the Federal Government LETS you.
You agreed to take their money and dance to their tunes..do you REALLY believe they would just let you walk away ?
No disrespect intended Mr. Dufford you do a dandy job but in this instance I disagree.
I am curious. In hard numbers, what will the City of Midland be able to save in real dollars by their voting to take and spend $4,000,000 in Federal money?
I would be willing to bet that Midland's share of $235,000/year never actually decreases, rather it would only increase at a slower rate.
But just for fun, let us say that taking and spending this Federal money resulted in efficiencies so great that Midland's share of the EZ Rider system dropped by a full 25%.
That means we attempted to increase efficiency by spending $68 federal dollars for every $1 of local tax dollars saved.
And this illustration only applies to those responsible for the city's budget in that they view this as a chance to decrease a $235,000 liability on their balance sheet by taking and spending $4,000,000 of Obamabucks.
But the thing to remember is that the taxpayer pays both the $235,000 AND the $4,000,000.
On a system where, again, "the cost/rider is not justifiable."
'Nudder thing ,If I may ?
The MRT reports that ridership actually WENT DOWN after an October fare increase ! And the fares will be unchanged because more revenues are needed....AFTER AN INFUSION OF AN ADDITIONAL 4 M !!!!
Jeepers Creepers ! Am I the only one seeing a naked emperor ! I mean this HAS to be the silliest of the silly.
You can't reduce rates because you need the money to operate on a deficit after receiving 4M to LOSE more money.
Seems to me when you find yourself in a hole you might want to quit digging.
Oh wait ! I'm not through !
The public transportation of the PB was "Designed" to run at a deficit .
This means that whoever thought out our public transportation system KNEW that at some point it would collapse upon itself due to NO revenue .
Who the heck designs things to break !
I think we have a new definition for insanity here.
Okay ,okay ...the Walser knows how to push my buttons ..and sometime today I'll put together that sandwich I've been meaning to have since 11am..but EVERY time I go to the kitchen I start thinking about this BUS mess and get madder than a wet hen.
The QUESTION is this; If bus ridership has fallen off due to a fare increase..HOW are these former bussers getting to the places they need to be getting to ?
I really doubt they're taking a cab .
Oh, here's a thought ! HOW did they get around before ???
oh, before I forget..BAH !
Ridership really hasn't recovered from the fare increase in October (according to the National Transit Database):
OCT 2008 (before): 39,420 UPT-MB
NOV 2008 (after) : 31,716 UPT-MB
DEC 2008 (after) : 30,783 UPT-MB
UPT-MB (Unlinked Passenger Trip, Metro-Bus Fixed Route)
Yes there was a similar seasonal dip in OCT/NOV 2007, but it was only 41,191 to 38,240. In real and percentage terms this years drop was much larger.
As for reducing the cost line item in the City of Midland's budget, the only way to do that is to increase fare collections and don't have your fixed costs rise above the Federal/State funding lines.
I guess we can see what the attempt to extract more fare revenue in the face of tacit demand for the service did last year.
two main reasons for reduced ridership numbers: 1) lower gas prices and 2) less transfers(the rider does not get counted multiple times) i would say only 500-600 folks actually use EZ rider based on above monthly figures. with transfers a single individual could get counted a minimum of 4x. that is the reason i voted against it the first time. alot of money for so few people. if and when the federal and state subsidies go away. i cant imagine future city councils justifying the cost unless it becomes a major transportation aide for alot larger segment of our city. will see.
We at the Well are well aware of the counting of transfers and round trips and total users (having read every NTD report issued since EZ Rider was commissioned). If you read my annual synoposis of EZ Rider you can find estimates and explanations of the methodologies in the FTA reports.
I would agree that 1 & 2 would contribute to lower UPT numbers, but it doesn't explain such a large month to month drop off about 8,000 UPT's when the dip the previous year was only about 3,000. Cost increases drove 5,000 more unlinked trips out of the system.
that works out to like $6600 per EzRider rider, just in stimulus spending.
I thought it was cool to see Dufford make an appearance in the Well.
At last! Someone with the insight to solve the prbloem!
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my point of view: i voted for the taking the money because it was going to be used for one time capital purchases(mainly new buses)
The new buses will be more efficient to operate ie. less repair and replacement costs etc.... EZ rider costs the city of midland 235,000/ year. hopefully, it will never increase. i can tell you the day the state and federal govt stop the subsidies will be the day that public transportation in midland will be finished. the buses were purchased for replacement and not to increase routes. i have said before when you look at how many individuals actually ride the bus the cost/ rider is not justifiable. however, we have the system lets do all we can to keep midlands cost to fund as low as possible. we need to be efficient inorder to do that.