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122 comments on How Will Local Governments Respond to Large Increases in Energy Bills?
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122 comments on How Will Local Governments Respond to Large Increases in Energy Bills?
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Unfortunately, limited time (including an eMail to Dr, Goose).
I did download executive summary of 2008 budget.
Some tidbits.
Metrorail Operating Budget - $638 million, $505 million from fares (79.1%, low 80% is typical for DC Metro). Higher ridership > more fares
$500 million for labor, $46 million for electricity (remember escalators, lighting, HVAC, etc.) $47 million for services (mostly indirect labor I assume)
MetroBus Operating Budget - $453 million, $145 million from fares (32%, good for buses) Again higher ridership > More fares
For Metrobus, $380 million for labor, only $32 million for fuel (*assumed price not stated), $18 for services (mostly indirect labor I guess)
MetroAccess - Handicap/ADA - $63 million, $3 million from fares (4.8%) I am sure that Paul S would kick them to the curb first (need to repeal ADA first though).
Per Ed Tennyson, much worse bus service once had lower fare recovery %. In other words, buses are more economic if coupled to Urban Rail than as standalone.
WMATA has looked at going to 100+% fare recovery for operations of Metrorail, and it might be possible, but the additional burden on the roads & pollution from lost ridership make it "not worth it".
Sorry for Limited Time, Hopefully more later,
Alan
In a large majority of jurisdictions, the transit agency has a dedicated source of funding (1% sales tax in New Orleans). WMATA gets direct funding from DC, VA & MD.
The obvious variable is overhead per passenger mile - capital costs are pretty constant. For rail, costs per passenger falls as volumes rise.
The capital costs aren't shown - how would they compare to operating costs?
Variable costs also tend to fall as volume increases. 8 car trains take no more labor (one operator) than 6 car trains (OTOH cleaning crews are per car). Fully loaded cars use only slightly more electricity than nearly empty cars.
TOD takes time. Part of New Orleans success with streetcars (80+% to 100+% farebox recovery, is how well housing and living patterns are woven into the system (operating since 1834). The largest building in the city, 51 story One Shell Square, is in between the tracks of the St. Charles streetcar. After 5 PM it is hard to get a seat after the streetcar passes One Shell.
In addition, ridership increases on existing lines when a new line is opened. So the bigger the system, the more economic it is. Two lines are better than one line, Seven lines are better than six lines.
Best Hopes,
Alan
Best Hopes for Large, Dense Urban Rail systems,
Alan
Thanks!
Thanks Alan! Cool statistics. Do you have a number for how much money MetroBus pulls in as far as fares?
MetroBus Operating Budget - $453 million, $145 million from fares (32%, good for buses)
Thanks again, interesting to know. I would imagine that the 145 Million in Fares could easily double under higher gas price conditions.
Doubling riderhip, even with crush loads @ peak time/peak direction, would require some additional service and additional costs.
One simply cannot squeeze twice as many pax on-board a rush hour bus.
Alan
Public Operating Subsidy (not including Capital)
Rail - $133 million
Bus - $308 million
ADA - $60 million
Ridership (Note NOT pax-miles but just pax, rail riders travel MUCH further than bus riders on average)
Rail - 210 million
Bus - 134 million
ADA - 1.6 million
Capital Budgets vary widely year by year, and some are not broken down by mode (security, management improvements, debt service (mostly rail I guess))
In 2008 $182 million to run 8 car trains half the time (includes 184 new railcars, bigger transformers), Buses $48 million, Infrastructure (assume mainly rail, but buses take more than expected for mid-life rebuilds, shelters, garages, etc. City & States pay for most of bus ROW from another budget) $269 million.