Ignore the Metro for a moment and focus on all the rural and suburban transit systems. All you statistical types can hone down the facts, but the notional case is that we spend about $250k for the bus, hire a couple of drivers for $35/hr, hire a mechanic at $35/hr, spend $1M or more on a garage, hire a few administrators at about $50/hr, then average around 15 paying passengers per hour at a fare of $1 each.

OR, we could have the airport limosine service and the cabs accept vouchers with a call-ahead and make a reservation service. Now our $20k cab with its $15/hr driver carries the same 15 passengers per hour. Better yet, we can tailor the service to the passengers actual origin and destination. Anybody ever see a limosine passenger walk five blocks with luggage to get to the limosine stop?

Have at it and knock yourselves out, correspondants.

Terry

-- Terry Jackson (Terryj@olpen.com), January 14, 2000

Answers

Who pays bus drivers that much? Please tell me. I would be willing to drive a bus again for $72,000 per year.

Who pays that much to their mechanics? Please tell me. My son would be willing to work for them. He has a little diesel mech. training.

I know you will disappoint me and say those figures were off the top of your head, right?

Care to post a link to your sources for those wages and costs?

-- Marsha (acorn_nut@hotmail.com), January 14, 2000.

Actually, cars and jitneys DO work in much of the world, and they are cost-effective relative to transit, but not THAT cost-effective.

That does raise the question, however, why we artificially restrict the number of cab drivers. Cabs ARE efficient, the transit dependent DO use taxis to a greater extent than the REST of us, but we keep the number of licenses low (costs $100,000 or so to buy one from an existing holder) which keeps fares high. Doesn't make sense. Hurts the poor and minorities. Where the heck is the ACLU when you need them?

-- Craig Carson (craigcar@crosswinds.net), January 14, 2000.

Marsha: Take any wage level you deem appropriate, then add in all the social costs of labor and all the overheads. Actual cash wages to the worker are likely about half the effective fully loaded labor rate. As for your son, working is too important not to enjoy it. Encourage him to find work for which he has a passion. Terry

-- Terry Jackson (Terryj@olpen.com), January 14, 2000.

From WWW.LNI.WA.GOV/prevailingwage A choice of counties is provided. Couldn't find bus drivers, likely because there are not any used in construction, but the transit workers would certainly consider these figures in their wage demands. Pilot car driver was around $22.50.

TRUCK DRIVERS DUMP TRUCK $16.82 DUMP TRUCK & TRAILER $31.26 1T 5D 8L OTHER TRUCKS $16.82 1 TRANSIT MIXER $17.66 1

-- Terry Jackson (Terryj@olpen.com), January 14, 2000.

Terry:

Ben Franklin Transit pays $400k per bus. This is a sick. If it is just a matter of transporting people, why don't they buy school buses for $60-70k.

As for your pay scale for mechanic, my nephew was one for B-F Transit. Hourly wage was about $25-27. But if you add in bennies then you are looking at close to $35 an hour.

-- Ed (ed_bridges@yahoo.com), January 14, 2000.

Craig, I sense a tongue in cheek here "Cabs ARE efficient, the transit dependent DO use taxis to a greater extent than the REST of us, but we keep the number of licenses low (costs $100,000 or so to buy one from an existing holder) which keeps fares high" But for a little enlightenment on the subject: Having spent some years as a cab driver I appreciate the limitation on 'tickets'. It allowed me to make an acceptable income if I worked a lot of hours. There are already too many cabs on the street that aren't used during many parts of the day so the guys go hungry. Sure during special events you might make a little extra but giving out an unlimited supply of tickets would let a lot of people starve. Cabbies are out there to assist their only special section of the 'poor'....themselves

-- maddjak (maddjak@hotmail.com), January 14, 2000.

maddjak-

Depends on where you are. King County and Seattle have intentionally kept numbers low, and a license really does cost $100K on the open market. Most cars (and licenses) are sublet by the owners to drivers. It's the guy that owns the license that gets rich, not the driver (there may be four drivers on the same cab over the course of the week).

-- (craigcar@crosswinds.net), January 14, 2000.

The 'private' transportation business is much more complicated than it seems no matter what state or county you are in. Now if you have enough bucks to start a 'fleet' of cabs..yes you make the big bucks because you are deriving your income from the 'nut' which is paid to you by the individual drivers. They don't sublet a license they just lease the vehicle for a certain amount of time or in some cases they hire commission drivers.

I owned two cabs but I didn't own the licenses. It cost me $148.00 a day 'nut' for each cab.

There is a MAJOR problem in King County for the cabbies and the cab companies because the county/city/state allows government vehicles and other forms of transport to cut into the cab business without the same restrictions that are put on cabs. I could go all day about the gripes of cabs against government intrusion and unequal treatment but I won't.. The taxi business has fallen to the depths since the majority of cab drivers don't speak or read English any more.

Have you taken a cab lately??

-- maddjak (maddjak@hotmail.com), January 14, 2000.

"Have you taken a cab lately?? "

Se Habla Espanol!

-- (zowie@hotmail.com), January 14, 2000.

After being an Amalgamated Transit Union Member for years, I can tell you that any wage over $20.00 an hour is unusual. The average is much lower, around $14.00, nationally. This is top wage, but it includes paratransit, which may make as little as $8.00 per hour.

Mechanics are also commonly represented by same Union. They commanded approximately $2.00 more per hour. Those who are represented by the Teamsters do much better.

I was only disputing figures for wages Terry. Not the intent of your post. I think there are a hundred ways better to transport people than a bus.

FWIW, not all low income elderly/disabled need transit. We have chore/in home caregivers that are paid a wage, and mileage to transport/escort/assist those folks for medical appointments and shopping. One more thing the "socially responsible" keep forgetting.

-- Marsha (acorn_nut@hotmail.com), January 14, 2000.