Detroit, suburbs' bus systems need jump start to grow

**begingri** · December-11-11, 04:28 PM

By: Matt Helms

Detroit Free Press Staff Writer

• The Legislature and Gov. Rick Snyder must approve legislation for a regional transportation authority, with control shared by Detroit and suburban counties.

Two state senators, Tom Casperson, R-Escanaba, and Bert Johnson, D-Highland Park, plan to introduce legislation early next year to do just that, with input from the Snyder administration.

• Decide on more stable funding for transit, and ask voters to approve it.

Property taxes have proven untenable for SMART, and Detroit says it can no longer afford to subsidize transit from its general fund. The solution may be a regional sales tax, said Megan Owens, executive director of the Detroit advocacy group Transportation Riders United.

The idea of a higher sales tax may seem dead on arrival in the current economy, but Owens said voters have shown strong support for transit taxes, knowing bus systems are critical for seniors, people with disabilities, low-wage workers and others unable to drive.

• Toss out old divisions that have crippled progress on regional transportation for 40 years.

Suburban leaders say they don't want to subsidize Detroit bus service. Detroit has resisted regional management for fear of losing control of its bus service and federal funding.

There are significant issues to be worked out. Detroit, for one, is saddled with tens of millions of pension and retiree obligations from DDOT, expenses suburban leaders say they will not take on.

It's not clear how Detroit's legacy costs will be resolved with the potential appointment of an emergency manager or some other state intervention.

Full story at: http://www.freep.com/article/2011121...-start-to-grow

**canuck** · December-11-11, 04:51 PM

Wow! Your governor is on the move.

**313WX** · December-11-11, 06:35 PM

That's probably DOA.

BTW, whatever happened to his plan to turn all schools into school of choice?

**Dexlin** · December-12-11, 05:50 AM

Originally Posted by canuck

Wow! Your governor is on the move.

And, how do you figure that, out of genuine curiosity?

**467riverfix** · December-12-11, 07:31 AM

The solution is simple: privatize the monstrosity. [[Of course the Free Press doesn't explore that angle.)

**Genesyxx** · December-12-11, 08:25 AM

You would think there'd be more talk of regionalization by now. Both systems are failing mightily.

**iheartthed** · December-12-11, 08:34 AM

I think the plan is to start a new authority and then let SMART and DDOT bankrupt.

**Danny** · December-12-11, 08:55 AM

Snyder, you nerd!

Before you can talk about regional public transportation. Deal with Detroit city government's budget deficit first.

**DetroitPlanner** · December-12-11, 09:14 AM

Originally Posted by iheartthed

I think the plan is to start a new authority and then let SMART and DDOT bankrupt.

I would hate to see this happen. There are far too many people relying on public transit in the region. SEMCOG recently surveyed the region and found 225,000 depend on transit to move them around everyday. Many of these folks have access to no car, or are too old/young/poor to drive one. To take that many folks out of the economy, not being able to get to Doctor's visits, school, etc, would be a disaster.

Most likely the RTA would be run like what you see in other cities where the RTA is coordinating the service at a higher level. This would mean no more cannibalizing each others passengers/routes for DDOT and SMART, and a chance for real linkage into the DPM.

Without an RTA and its ability to rationalize the system, and a new source of funding for operating and matching federal funding, you can say goodbye to any higher level service along the major corridors. If both can't provide the service we have now, they won't be able to expand to services with higher operating costs. Yes I know this could be offset by higher ridership, but if the connecting service ain't there, nobody's going to be able to get to routes like Woodward to use them. You have to have enough money to operate all modes or the system won't work.

**antongast** · December-12-11, 10:54 AM

Originally Posted by 467riverfix

The solution is simple: privatize the monstrosity. [[Of course the Free Press doesn't explore that angle.)

There is always a well-known solution to every human problem--neat, plausible, and wrong.
-Mencken

**iheartthed** · December-12-11, 11:27 AM

Originally Posted by DetroitPlanner

I would hate to see this happen. There are far too many people relying on public transit in the region. SEMCOG recently surveyed the region and found 225,000 depend on transit to move them around everyday. Many of these folks have access to no car, or are too old/young/poor to drive one. To take that many folks out of the economy, not being able to get to Doctor's visits, school, etc, would be a disaster.

Most likely the RTA would be run like what you see in other cities where the RTA is coordinating the service at a higher level. This would mean no more cannibalizing each others passengers/routes for DDOT and SMART, and a chance for real linkage into the DPM.

Without an RTA and its ability to rationalize the system, and a new source of funding for operating and matching federal funding, you can say goodbye to any higher level service along the major corridors. If both can't provide the service we have now, they won't be able to expand to services with higher operating costs. Yes I know this could be offset by higher ridership, but if the connecting service ain't there, nobody's going to be able to get to routes like Woodward to use them. You have to have enough money to operate all modes or the system won't work.

I would guess that they try to keep the management and service coverage abstracted from the public. But when I was reading about the new high speed bus plan it seemed like they are thinking that the best way to get the regional transit authority is to do away with the separate agencies completely instead of a merge.

**Scottathew** · December-12-11, 11:33 AM

Regionalize it!

**DetroitPlanner** · December-12-11, 11:58 AM

Originally Posted by iheartthed

I would guess that they try to keep the management and service coverage abstracted from the public. But when I was reading about the new high speed bus plan it seemed like they are thinking that the best way to get the regional transit authority is to do away with the separate agencies completely instead of a merge.

It seems that this is what Bing wants too. The system however is heavilly supported and used by Detroiters as opposed to suburbanites. This has been a major obstacle for the current RTCC which currently holds the federal purse-strings coming into the Detroit urban area. A merge could happen, but it does not neccessarlily need to. Chicago has CTA, Pace, and Metra operating as one RTA. Each semi-independant. The first thing that needs to happen is better coordination, which is something that the current RTCC does not have the teeth to do.

A quick merge could really have a negative impact on the current ridership. If it don't work for the transit dependant, then it won't work for choice riders either [[the ones that this forum seems to emphasize). Merging is a future possibility, but lets do this right for once.

**canuck** · December-12-11, 01:56 PM

Originally Posted by Dexlin

And, how do you figure that, out of genuine curiosity?

No irony in it unless of course there is a reason to disbelieve him. I would like this impulse to regionalize to be true not dead on arrival as 313WX says. Who knows?

**trotwood** · December-12-11, 05:19 PM

Originally Posted by 48091

Regionalize it!

I agree! What a mess this is.

**Hypestyles** · December-13-11, 02:03 AM

at least the Freep article points out that transit systems rarely, if ever "pay for themselves".. not that it matters to those who are against it..

**Hermod** · December-13-11, 05:29 AM

Originally Posted by Hypestyles

at least the Freep article points out that transit systems rarely, if ever "pay for themselves".. not that it matters to those who are against it..

No, they do not pay for themselves.

Unfortunately, bus transportation loses the least money.

The good part about privatizing is that it is "pay as you go" and you do not build up legacy costs.

**Dexlin** · December-13-11, 05:40 AM

I'm not for the wholesale privatizing of the system, but some of you advocating it are talking about operations as opposed to selling it, right? Everyone's aware of DDOT's millions of dollars of debt, right? The debt is the 800lbs gorilla in the room regardless of whether we are talking about privatization of service or regionalizing the system.

BTW, you can be assured that if services are contracted out, given that systems don't make money, that the paltry offering of routes will be cut even more than it already is in a region were more and more frequent service is needed more than it has been in years with more people relying on the bus. Ridership has been going down on both systems even as the actual demand for the service has gone up, and that's because the system is already so paltry that the cuts have literally stopped people that used to use it from using it.