According to this story, Seattle's mostly-bus transit system showed a 12% ridership increase in 2012. In contrast, train-crazy Portland's numbers barely budged. What a difference integrity and competence make. [Via Erik H.]
Comments (14)
Plus they've had the delightful ORCA card for years and somehow managed to put together commuter rail without having to spend millions taking over a bankrupt company.
Turns out buses that run frequently with good reliability are something people (even middle class tech people!) will absolutely ride. The worst parts of their mass transit system are the super slow streetcar and the uber-expensive and not that useful light rail line.
ORCA card is amazing. And what's even more remarkable, as I found out on Saturday, is that Seattle doesn't have an all-day fare. You pay each time you ride. Their light rail is separate (Sound Transit) from buses (Metro) so you pay a separate fare; and the light rail uses a distance-based fare system (you pay more the further you go). There is no downtown fareless zone. And - amazingly, they have more riders!!!
commuter rail without having to spend millions taking over a bankrupt company
One of the Sounder trains with six bi-level coaches can carry 900 riders at once, with just TWO crew (Engineer and Conductor). Amazing efficiency, if the train is full of course. Per boarding ride cost is around $9. And during the "off-peak" hours (midday, late evening, weekends) there are still commuter buses that provide the same service that Sounder trains do.
However WES, with its meager 85 passenger single coach, still can't even fill up that one car - and TriMet spends upwards of $17 per boarding ride.
And best of all, Seattle employs a varied fleet of buses, from DART vans, 30' buses - all the way up to 60' articulated buses and Bus Rapid Transit. Snohomish County even runs double-decker commuter buses which are extremely popular. Snohomish County's SWIFT Bus Rapid Transit Line opened about the same time as WES and is about the same 15 mile distance - but unlike WES, SWIFT only cost $29 million to build (not $165 million), has a per boarding ride cost of $1 (not $17), and SWIFT is Community Transit's #1 service for ridership (WES is among TriMet's lowest ridership routes). For the cost of WES, TriMet could have bought FIVE separate BRT lines (replacing the #9, 12, 33, 57, and 76 bus lines).
The worst parts of their mass transit system are the super slow streetcar and the uber-expensive and not that useful light rail line.
Since the above and only the above are what is being shoved down our throats at-any-cost, come-hell-or-high-water, d*mn-the-torpedoes-full-speed-ahead, what else is there to say but protect your assets before it's too late and have your escape route planned in advance.
TriMet is a Portland transit monopoly that serves mainly Portland at the expense of the surrounding region. Many routes are drawn, not based on demand, but based on how to extract the most payroll tax from the area (Boring is a great example).
Transit in the Seattle area is run by the counties... so the counties are able to serve their residents and surrounding job centers. They are also funded by sales tax, so service area has less potential for corruption.
Many routes are drawn, not based on demand, but based on how to extract the most payroll tax from the area
As well as the one route (57) for Forest Grove and Cornelius, the one route (94) for King City and Sherood, the 96 that serves a large part of Tualatin (rush hour only, of course)...
A welcome change - either by the Legislature or by citizen initiative - would be to restrict TriMet's taxing authority from 2.5 miles from a transit stop to just 1/2 mile, AND the taxes must be proportional to the level of service - so TriMet wouldn't be able to get away with taxing an area who gets just a handful of buses a day (Boring) at the same rate as someone on the Transit Mall with buses and trains every couple minutes.
Frankly, it should be 1/4th of a mile from a bus stop, and 1/2 mile from a rail stop - and it will be by WALKING distance using sidewalks. If there's no sidewalk, there's no tax.
The other problem I have with the Statistics is that they are "boarding ride" the bus system is used to feed the light rail to keep the numbers up for the PR Value. The statistic should be for a "trip" and instead of being a stat booster it should be a detriment the number of different routes or "boarding rides" you need to take to arrive at your destination.
According to this story, Seattle's mostly-bus transit system showed a 12% ridership increase in 2012.
It turns out that Seattle's mostly-bus system (King County Transit) gained only 2.5%. It was Sound Transit (operator of light rail and commuter rail) that saw a 12$ increase.
However, Sound Transit's largest increase was in bus passengers. Light-rail ridership grew by only 9%. Download complete results for all transit systems here.
St Johns Flasher wrote: If tri-met reduced fares to $1 per trip they would have an astounding increase in ridership that would pull them out of the hole they keep digging.
I'm curious, how would that work? On all but a few routes, they are losing money on $2.50 per ride. My route (like many others) is already full at rush hour. Fare evaders who don't pay $2.50, won't feel like paying $1.00 either.
I was a faithful Tri-Met rider for many years, had no car nor a desire to own one, and with the exception of late night, you could get a bus to go just about anywhere locally. I'm also old enough to remember Rose City Transit.
I got a car in my late 30s when the bully teenagers started to take over on some trips and the bus drivers put on the blinkers. I have a lot of stories. As bus fares went up, routes started to disappear, and equipment got fancier. I finally had enough and got a car.
One of the many ways Tri-Met has continually lost money is because of politicians who want a 'legacy' by investing in hugely expensive light rail projects. Along the way they lost riders like me by the thousands. A $1 fare would put more butts in seats. Maybe including mine.
Charamba, Douro 2008
Horse Heaven Hills, Cabernet 2010
Lorelle, Horse Heaven Hills Pinot Grigio 2011
Avignonesi, Montepulciano 2004
Lorelle, Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2011
Villa Antinori, Toscana 2007
Mercedes Eguren, Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
Lorelle, Columbia Valley Cabernet 2011
Purple Moon, Merlot 2011
Purple Moon, Chardonnnay 2011
Abacela, Vintner's Blend No. 12
Opula Red Blend 2010
Liberte, Pinot Noir 2010
Chateau Ste. Michelle, Indian Wells Red Blend 2010
Woodbridge, Chardonnay 2011
King Estate, Pinot Noir 2011
Famille Perrin, Cotes du Rhone Villages 2010
Columbia Crest, Les Chevaux Red 2010
14 Hands, Hot to Trot White Blend
Familia Bianchi, Malbec 2009
Terrapin Cellars, Pinot Gris 2011
Columbia Crest, Walter Clore Private Reserve 2009
Campo Viejo, Rioja, Termpranillo 2010
Ravenswood, Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
Quinta das Amoras, Vinho Tinto 2010
Waterbrook, Reserve Merlot 2009
Lorelle, Horse Heaven Hills, Pinot Grigio 2011
Tarantas, Rose
Chateau Lajarre, Bordeaux 2009
La Vielle Ferme, Rose 2011
Benvolio, Pinot Grigio 2011
Nobilo Icon, Pinot Noir 2009
Lello, Douro Tinto 2009
Quinson Fils, Cotes de Provence Rose 2011
Anindor, Pinot Gris 2010
Buenas Ondas, Syrah Rose 2010
Les Fiefs d'Anglars, Malbec 2009
14 Hands, Pinot Gris 2011
Conundrum 2012
Condes de Albarei, Albariño 2011
Columbia Crest, Walter Clore Private Reserve 2007
Penelope Sanchez, Garnacha Syrah 2010
Canoe Ridge, Merlot 2007
Atalaya do Mar, Godello 2010
Vega Montan, Mencia
Benvolio, Pinot Grigio
Nobilo Icon, Pinot Noir, Marlborough 2009
Portuga, Rose 2011
Revelation, Chardonnay, Pays d'Oc 2010
Beaulieu, Cabernet, Rutherford 2005
Monte Alto, Tinto Reserva 2005
Chateau Ste. Michelle, Cabernet, Indian Wells 2009
Espiral, Vinho Rose
Vin-Koru, Pinot Gris 2011
14 Hands, Hot to Trot Red 2009
Rodney Strong, Cabernet, Sonoma 2009
Abacela, Vintner's Blend #11
Portuga, White 2010
La Bourgeoisie, Red 2009
Januik, Red 2009
Three Rivers, River's Red 2008
Kirkland, Alexander Valley Merlot 2008
Muga, Rioja Rose 2010
Quinta das Amoras, Vinho Tinto 2009
Mauro Molino, Barbera d'Alba 2009
Garda Chiaretto Rose
Columbia Crest, Two Vines Vineyard 10 White
Chateau Ste. Michelle, Pinot Gris, Columbia Valley 2009
L'Hortus, Rose de Saignee 2010
Maculan, Pino & Toi 2008
McKinley Springs, Bombing Range Red 2008
Trader Joe's Pinot Gris 2009
Montes Alpha, Cabernet 2007
Gran Sasso, Sangiovese, Terre di Chieti 2009
Garda, Classico Chiaretto Rose
Beaulieu, Cabernet, Rutherford 1999
Picos del Montgo, Tempranillo 2008
Chateau de Montmirail, Vacqueyras 2008
La Granja 360, Syrah 2009
Montgras, Carmenere Reserva 2009
Lange, Pinot Gris 2009
Columbia Crest, Horse Heaven Hills Cabernet 2008
Kirkland, Pinot Grigio 2010
Trader Joe's Coastal Syrah 2009
Columbia Crest, Horse Heaven Hills Merlot 2008
Trader Joe's Coastal Chardonnay 2009
Vieux Papes Red
Domaine de l'Aujardiere, Chardonnay 2009
Santa Rita, Cabernet, Medalla Real 2007
Penfold's, Koonunga Hill Shiraz Cabernet 2008
Guild, Red, Lot #02 2008
Dievole, Dievolino Sangiovese 2008
Laforet, Burgogne Chardonnay 2009
Columbia Winery, Merlot 2007
Bonterra, Cabernet 2008
Elk Cove, Pinot Gris 2009
Maquis Lien 2006
Scott Paul, Pinot Noir, Le Paulee 2007
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Neil Young - Waging Heavy Peace
Mark Bego - Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul (2012 ed.)
Jenny Lawson - Let's Pretend This Never Happened
J.D. Salinger - Franny and Zooey
Charles Dickens - A Christmas Carol
Timothy Egan - The Big Burn
Deborah Eisenberg - Transactions in a Foreign Currency
Kurt Vonnegut Jr. - Slaughterhouse Five
Kathryn Lance - Pandora's Genes
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Fyodor Dostoyevsky - The Brothers Karamazov
Jack London - The House of Pride, and Other Tales of Hawaii
Jack Walker - The Extraordinary Rendition of Vincent Dellamaria
Colum McCann - Let the Great World Spin
Niccolò Machiavelli - The Prince
Harper Lee - To Kill a Mockingbird
Emma McLaughlin & Nicola Kraus - The Nanny Diaries
Brian Selznick - The Invention of Hugo Cabret
Sharon Creech - Walk Two Moons
Keith Richards - Life
F. Sionil Jose - Dusk
Natalie Babbitt - Tuck Everlasting
Justin Halpern - S#*t My Dad Says
Mark Herrmann - The Curmudgeon's Guide to Practicing Law
Barry Glassner - The Gospel of Food
Phil Stanford - The Peyton-Allan Files
Jesse Katz - The Opposite Field
Evelyn Waugh - Brideshead Revisited
J.K. Rowling - Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
David Sedaris - Holidays on Ice
Donald Miller - A Million Miles in a Thousand Years
Mitch Albom - Have a Little Faith
C.S. Lewis - The Magician's Nephew
F. Scott Fitzgerald - The Great Gatsby
William Shakespeare - A Midsummer Night's Dream
Ivan Doig - Bucking the Sun
Penda Diakité - I Lost My Tooth in Africa
Grace Lin - The Year of the Rat
Oscar Hijuelos - Mr. Ives' Christmas
Madeline L'Engle - A Wrinkle in Time
Steven Hart - The Last Three Miles
David Sedaris - Me Talk Pretty One Day
Karen Armstrong - The Spiral Staircase
Charles Larson - The Portland Murders
Adrian Wojnarowski - The Miracle of St. Anthony
William H. Colby - Long Goodbye
Steven D. Stark - Meet the Beatles
Phil Stanford - Portland Confidential
Rick Moody - Garden State
Jonathan Schwartz - All in Good Time
David Sedaris - Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim
Anthony Holden - Big Deal
Robert J. Spitzer - The Spirit of Leadership
James McManus - Positively Fifth Street
Jeff Noon - Vurt
Road Work
Miles run year to date: 21
At this date last year: 52
Total run in 2012: 129
In 2011: 113
In 2010: 125
In 2009: 67
In 2008: 28
In 2007: 113
In 2006: 100
In 2005: 149
In 2004: 204
In 2003: 269
Comments (14)
Plus they've had the delightful ORCA card for years and somehow managed to put together commuter rail without having to spend millions taking over a bankrupt company.
Turns out buses that run frequently with good reliability are something people (even middle class tech people!) will absolutely ride. The worst parts of their mass transit system are the super slow streetcar and the uber-expensive and not that useful light rail line.
Posted by Andrew S | March 12, 2013 10:19 AM
the delightful ORCA card for years
ORCA card is amazing. And what's even more remarkable, as I found out on Saturday, is that Seattle doesn't have an all-day fare. You pay each time you ride. Their light rail is separate (Sound Transit) from buses (Metro) so you pay a separate fare; and the light rail uses a distance-based fare system (you pay more the further you go). There is no downtown fareless zone. And - amazingly, they have more riders!!!
commuter rail without having to spend millions taking over a bankrupt company
One of the Sounder trains with six bi-level coaches can carry 900 riders at once, with just TWO crew (Engineer and Conductor). Amazing efficiency, if the train is full of course. Per boarding ride cost is around $9. And during the "off-peak" hours (midday, late evening, weekends) there are still commuter buses that provide the same service that Sounder trains do.
However WES, with its meager 85 passenger single coach, still can't even fill up that one car - and TriMet spends upwards of $17 per boarding ride.
And best of all, Seattle employs a varied fleet of buses, from DART vans, 30' buses - all the way up to 60' articulated buses and Bus Rapid Transit. Snohomish County even runs double-decker commuter buses which are extremely popular. Snohomish County's SWIFT Bus Rapid Transit Line opened about the same time as WES and is about the same 15 mile distance - but unlike WES, SWIFT only cost $29 million to build (not $165 million), has a per boarding ride cost of $1 (not $17), and SWIFT is Community Transit's #1 service for ridership (WES is among TriMet's lowest ridership routes). For the cost of WES, TriMet could have bought FIVE separate BRT lines (replacing the #9, 12, 33, 57, and 76 bus lines).
Posted by Erik H. | March 12, 2013 10:29 AM
If tri-met reduced fares to $1 per trip they would have an astounding increase in ridership that would pull them out of the hole they keep digging.
Posted by St Johns Flasher | March 12, 2013 10:31 AM
The worst parts of their mass transit system are the super slow streetcar and the uber-expensive and not that useful light rail line.
Since the above and only the above are what is being shoved down our throats at-any-cost, come-hell-or-high-water, d*mn-the-torpedoes-full-speed-ahead, what else is there to say but protect your assets before it's too late and have your escape route planned in advance.
Posted by Mr. Grumpy | March 12, 2013 11:07 AM
Maybe the fact that Goldschmidt and his cronies were never involved in their transit system(s) has something to do with it?
Posted by pdxjim | March 12, 2013 11:32 AM
TriMet is a Portland transit monopoly that serves mainly Portland at the expense of the surrounding region. Many routes are drawn, not based on demand, but based on how to extract the most payroll tax from the area (Boring is a great example).
Transit in the Seattle area is run by the counties... so the counties are able to serve their residents and surrounding job centers. They are also funded by sales tax, so service area has less potential for corruption.
Posted by Anthony | March 12, 2013 11:54 AM
Mr. Grumpy...
We think its being shoved "down"...
We think its our throats...
Cheers, It's Mike
Posted by It's Mike | March 12, 2013 11:59 AM
. . .are what is being shoved down our throats. . .
A pattern here!
From Metro plans to city behavioral plans and now a movement to push fluoride.
Posted by clinamen | March 12, 2013 12:47 PM
Many routes are drawn, not based on demand, but based on how to extract the most payroll tax from the area
As well as the one route (57) for Forest Grove and Cornelius, the one route (94) for King City and Sherood, the 96 that serves a large part of Tualatin (rush hour only, of course)...
A welcome change - either by the Legislature or by citizen initiative - would be to restrict TriMet's taxing authority from 2.5 miles from a transit stop to just 1/2 mile, AND the taxes must be proportional to the level of service - so TriMet wouldn't be able to get away with taxing an area who gets just a handful of buses a day (Boring) at the same rate as someone on the Transit Mall with buses and trains every couple minutes.
Frankly, it should be 1/4th of a mile from a bus stop, and 1/2 mile from a rail stop - and it will be by WALKING distance using sidewalks. If there's no sidewalk, there's no tax.
Posted by Erik H. | March 12, 2013 8:12 PM
The other problem I have with the Statistics is that they are "boarding ride" the bus system is used to feed the light rail to keep the numbers up for the PR Value. The statistic should be for a "trip" and instead of being a stat booster it should be a detriment the number of different routes or "boarding rides" you need to take to arrive at your destination.
Posted by swimmer | March 13, 2013 7:20 AM
According to this story, Seattle's mostly-bus transit system showed a 12% ridership increase in 2012.
It turns out that Seattle's mostly-bus system (King County Transit) gained only 2.5%. It was Sound Transit (operator of light rail and commuter rail) that saw a 12$ increase.
However, Sound Transit's largest increase was in bus passengers. Light-rail ridership grew by only 9%. Download complete results for all transit systems here.
Posted by antiplanner | March 13, 2013 1:47 PM
12$ was supposed to be 12%
Posted by antiplanner | March 13, 2013 1:48 PM
St Johns Flasher wrote: If tri-met reduced fares to $1 per trip they would have an astounding increase in ridership that would pull them out of the hole they keep digging.
I'm curious, how would that work? On all but a few routes, they are losing money on $2.50 per ride. My route (like many others) is already full at rush hour. Fare evaders who don't pay $2.50, won't feel like paying $1.00 either.
Posted by Downtown Denizen | March 13, 2013 9:20 PM
I was a faithful Tri-Met rider for many years, had no car nor a desire to own one, and with the exception of late night, you could get a bus to go just about anywhere locally. I'm also old enough to remember Rose City Transit.
I got a car in my late 30s when the bully teenagers started to take over on some trips and the bus drivers put on the blinkers. I have a lot of stories. As bus fares went up, routes started to disappear, and equipment got fancier. I finally had enough and got a car.
One of the many ways Tri-Met has continually lost money is because of politicians who want a 'legacy' by investing in hugely expensive light rail projects. Along the way they lost riders like me by the thousands. A $1 fare would put more butts in seats. Maybe including mine.
Posted by St Johns Flasher | March 14, 2013 7:33 AM