Comments on Advance Indiana™: Commuter Bus Operator Can't Sustain Bus Service Between Downtown Indy and Carmel And Fishers Without More Subsidies

They need to raise rates to cover their costs. Le...

2014-07-08T19:14:00.438-05:00

They need to raise rates to cover their costs. Let the riders fund their own transportation the same way I do. Or they can sell advertising...but my pockets are closed to mass transit subsidies.

Years ago, when I was working in state government ...

2014-07-08T19:09:16.869-05:00

Years ago, when I was working in state government in Indiana, I had a friend who led the Urban Mass Transit Administration who told me that at UMTA, they had an informal rule of thumb about the feasibility of mass transit in different cities. It had to do with the cost of downtown parking in the urban center -- if you could park there for under $10, mass transit was never going to work/be viable/or be anything but a drain on services. Indy is a perfect example of why that rule of thumb holds true today -- you can park in the center of the city for $2 at the Circle Center Mall. Hoosiers will not give up their cars until the cost of parking becomes onerous. Then, $10 round trip bus rides may have a chance to succeed

Faux-gressives insist on crass transit; retributio...

2014-07-08T16:35:58.887-05:00

Faux-gressives insist on crass transit; retribution routed, through the lives & interests of sovereign citizens whom they seek to make miserable & control.

See, folks...that's how it starts. First, they...

2014-07-08T15:49:09.799-05:00

See, folks...that's how it starts.
First, they get people to go along, then all of a sudden, they have to "raise the rates," "raise the taxes," "reduce the services," etc. etc. etc.
And the lo-fo's just sit there, nodding their heads.

It is my understanding from all the literature on ...

2014-07-08T12:32:21.127-05:00

It is my understanding from all the literature on the subject that no mass transit system has ever paid for itself and that includes the NY subway system AND the Bay Area BART system. High density urban areas cannot make their transport systems self-sufficient so why on earth would any clear headed individual hold the notion low density Indianapolis will be any different?

Mass/rapid transit construction and maintenance will never actually "end"... it is the ideal long-running crony payoff to politically connected contractors and management companies... an endeavor that will forever require taxpayer funding and political involvement.

The real idiots are the wackos on Urban Indy who w...

2014-07-08T11:51:04.365-05:00

The real idiots are the wackos on Urban Indy who want to destroy entire lanes of travel on streets to put in "busways."

They want to make it so unpleasant to drive your car that you'll hop on one of their Socialism Shuttles.

All part of Agenda 21.

I actually would rather provide a local subsidy to...

2014-07-08T11:41:25.070-05:00

I actually would rather provide a local subsidy to Miller to operate the express bus service than raise local income taxes and build a boondoggle of a regional mass transit system that will cost much more per rider to support. The bus service is already subsidized through the tax breaks given to the commuters on their federal income tax.

Apparently company doesn't love misery. Look ...

2014-07-08T11:13:34.761-05:00

Apparently company doesn't love misery. Look at Detroit; home of the subsi-dazed. Don't think it could happen "here?"

Really simple - if you think it's a public g...

2014-07-08T11:13:29.809-05:00

Really simple - if you think it's a public good, you'll subsidize it. If you don't, you won't.

All public transportation is subsidized. Who do yo...

2014-07-08T10:57:09.089-05:00

All public transportation is subsidized. Who do you think is paying for your runways, terminals and TSA screens?

At least Miller is trying to keep the costs reasonable.