The New MRT Site
OK, so it isn't exactly new, but I have noticed the new site eats news. More to the point, several front page stories never make it onto the "Top News" part of the website, and some stories never make it onto the site at all.
Such is the fate of the Front Page article on EZ Rider from 9/16/2010..."Bus board cuts routes." Days of searching for a link have produced nothing.
More often than not, the stories that don't seem to make the site are Economic Development and City News items. Sometimes these stories don't wind up in the article search.
I don't really like to comment on subjects that I can't link back to a source article, because sometimes folks just need to read stuff for themselves. There were a few interesting quotes in that missing EZ Rider column, but I want to do a little more research on the whole thing.
Ridership is up, but I think that is a function of the $2 all day pass replacing the dismal $1.25/ride increase that decimated ridership a couple of years ago. I also think we will see a big end of summer dip as kids are in school and not taking all-day rides on EZ Rider all around town. My bet is revenues are flat compared to ridership gains, but it will take almost a year for that data to trickle out of the federal government, and I haven't seen monthly farebox receipts published alongside ridership in a long time.
Get ready for big local share increases in EZ Rider next year, because the State of Texas has been chipping in about 25% of the costs for EZ Rider and the legislature is staring at an $18 Billion dollar shortfall for the next biennium, you can bet EZ Rider is going to get a cut to their State Formula income...and from the article I can't link, I don't think anyone in management is thinking about that, not with 3% raises having to be quashed by Midland Council Members and deficet budgets having to be vetoed by Citizen Board Members.
Maybe the TEA Party ought to camp out at the multi-million dollar EZ Rider compound being built at the Airport. Cutting that matching expense for the City of Midland would have negated a rise in property taxes.
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9 Comments
Now, now, now, we can't have Midland portrayed in a bad light, can we? I mean, if the locals read the bad news, well, that's one thing, they can see the empty busses for themselves. But let's put on a good face for the outside world, shall we? That's a good boy, back to what you were doing.
Speaking of advertising, isn't it about time to remove the census ads from the hardware?
Maybe they don't have any ads to replace the Census ads?
Hellooo ! oh! oh! Anybody here anymore..more more ore ore. Five days without a posting..ing..ing..ing. Stuff is happening! ning..ning..ning ! Where the heck are you ! oo !oo! oo !
Damit I'm going to start hijacking cause I gots stuff to address..ress..ress..ress !
Like how do I get outta here ! ere..ere..ere..
Help ! lp lp lp...
I need spicy rum ! um..um..um !
Good thing I like the sound of my own voice ! ...ice...ice...ice....
Ease off, Otto.....these guys have day jobs.
Oh that's so cute!! I think we slouhd all try to be close to each other and respect each other. I love both of you so much.
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This obviously cries out for improving communications between the various transportation boards and the City Council.
We have to work smarter, not harder.
We can't just think outside the box any more, we must find a whole other box to think outside of.
And if thinking outside of that box doesn't work, we should try thinking inside of it again. But only if we can improve communications.
In the mean time though, let's cover the windows of every bus in the fleet with giant advertisements so nobody can see that they are empty.
(That's about 20k worth of consulting right there...on the House.)