The cost of operating our buses works out to around $2.60 per trip--not an ideal measure, since "trip" makes no reference to travel time or distance, but oh well. Not everyone can pay this, so our base fare is $1.25 per trip. You pay less if you buy transfers, passes, etc.
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Well, to do it really fairly, it would be based on operating cost per rider, so empty buses would be more expensive to ride than full ones. See Ch 11 of my book. That would result in the collapse of most coverage services and retreat to the high-ridership network.
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I recall--but I also contend that this goes beyond what's practical for the sake of what's fair in theory. The arcane fare system for trains in UK charges more or less based on how full a train is, but this ends up being much more confusing than the Japanese approach...
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...which charges based on distance (with surcharges for seat reservations, etc, where available), but the same rate for the same distance regardless of level of crowding or time of day.
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Nonetheless--it would mean ending most coverage service in its current form. But coverage service is that which is specifically for small numbers of people dispersed over large areas...better suited to cars (or, in transit mode, taxis) than fixed route transit.
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So, for people who can't drive but who don't live somewhere that's practical to serve with fixed routes, a subsidized taxi service makes more sense. Maybe with dedicated pickup/dropoff points to streamline operations, but not with dedicated routes or timetables.
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An on-demand service somewhere between existing paratransit and Uber; subsidized by taxpayers as part of the social safety net. Operated independently of any fixed-route transit, which has very different needs and strategies, and can (at least potentially) make profit.
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The makeup of ridership vs coverage varies wildly between agencies, smaller agencies may have a majority of coverage-only routes. Should agencies be left only with a few routes to serve, and how does the handoff of routes happen between entities?
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Not sure how the handoff/transition would go. Nothing wrong with a one-route agency though, in principle
End of conversation
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