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Bus Riders’ Union doesn’t have all the answers

By Daily Bruin Staff

Feb. 20, 1996 9:00 p.m.

Bus Riders’ Union doesn’t have all the answers

By Ronald Lehmer

I am writing in response to your Feb. 14 article ("Bus Riders’
Union cites fee discrimination") concerning the Metropolitan
Transit Authority (MTA). I am a strong advocate of mass transit,
but I feel that the Bus Riders’ Union does not have the needs of
the entire region in mind with their attempt to derail the subway
and other rail-transit initiatives.

First, if anyone thinks that there is some sort of racial
inequity in rail transit, I suggest that they stand in the
pedestrian tunnel at L.A. Union Station at 7 a.m. or 4:30 p.m. and
see that there is excellent minority utilization of Metrolink.

Second, if the subsidy is computed in terms of dollars per
rider-mile rather than dollars per rider, then the cost of
operating the Metrolink rail systems is much more in line with the
bus system. Dollars per rider-mile is a better measure of the
actual use (wear and tear plus manpower) than dollars per
rider.

The Bus Riders’ Union arguments about subsidies seem to suggest
that the MTA’s bus fares should be distance-based so that suburban
bus riders would pay five times as much as inner-city riders. Of
course, this would kill off all suburban and express service and
raise fares further for the inner-city rider.

Further, Metrolink and the subway reduce congestion (which in
turn reduces pollution and stress) and provide an alternative to
constructing more freeways. So there are capital outlays we could
have made for freeways that were used for the rail systems, and
there are savings from less pollution and shorter commute
times.

Also, Metrolink and the subway provide a unique transportation
alternative that cannot be replicated by buses. Buses have to
compete with street and freeway traffic, but the rail system has
its own right of way and can serve a larger region at a speed that
users consider competitive with the automobile.

Now, I’m a strong believer in the bus system. I agree that if
the basic fare is driven too high, the system will die. However, is
the MTA trying to be everything to everyone?

Look at the "regional" carriers such as the Santa Monica
Municipal Bus Lines or the Culver City Bus Lines. They manage to
keep basic fares to 50 and 60 cents, respectively. Will the Bus
Riders’ Union’s next target be the difference in basic fares and
attempt to attack the "subsidy" these local agencies provide for
their service?

If the Bus Riders’ Union’s arguments are taken to extremes, then
expenditures on the bus system should be weighed against street and
freeway improvements, construction and operation of public-parking
structures, and meters and construction and operation of the
airport.

I think that a lot of people would object to this kind of
linkage between these transportation systems, yet Metrolink and the
subway become easy targets for people looking for some cash to make
political points with their voters.

Perhaps something to look at is to regionalize or localize bus
service similar to what is being discussed with the public-school
system. A local system could provide specific destinations that
local residents use frequently, while a county or regional system
of express buses – the subway and Metrolink – could provide a
backbone to move across the region.

This would also have the effect of providing some local control
over transportation resources, rather than having a single plan
come out of an ivory tower downtown.

If the Daily Bruin is going to continue to cover this issue, it
should report on the political nature of this affair, including the
state and federal politics that forced the formation of the MTA,
the political connections that the Bus Riders’ Union has and the
politics of subcontracting certain routes in the San Gabriel Valley
and Long Beach out to different operators.Comments to
[email protected]

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