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Originally Posted by PLANSIT
East Colfax BRT is moving into Design/NEPA.
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Thanks for the update!
RTD crisis: Operator shortage, high fares, lower ridership
NOVEMBER 21, 2019 BY MICHAEL KONOPASEK AND ALEX ROSE - Fox31 Denver
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“It’s unfortunate that it’s happening at the same time that RTD is trying to expand its service and improve its quality of service,” said University of Denver professor Andrew Goetz.
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Who is this Goetz guy?
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Goetz, an expert on transportation and urban studies, warns riders are most concerned about service reliability while remaining sensitive to what comes out of their wallets
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Impressive!
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Goetz said while working to attract more operators, he would like to see RTD reduce fares to grow ridership. He says that could benefit everyone.
“It really comes down to a concept of elasticity of demand,” he said. “If you lower fares, you may very well get more riders. More riders may actually increase your total revenue for that -- or at least be neutral.”
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Clueless.!.!
As
PLANSIT has already stated the fare "restructuring" was designed to be net revenue neutral. The most notable increase was to the 'A Line' where ridership has grown in spite of the fare increase.
Then the professor grabs Econ 101 "elasticity of demand" principle which on paper and in a static vacuum makes perfect sense. The only problem is that we don't live in a static vacuum. All manner of things come into play.
Okay, I'm prejudiced but I'll put my ordinary degree with my real world experience and assert that I know a lot more about "ridership" than the Professor with whatever degree paper he has hanging on his wall. As I've suggested elsewhere RTD fares are likely the last thing that comes into play with respect to ridership. Other than walking and biking what other way is cheaper than a bus fare?