Wednesday, March 16, 2005
Should Portland's Tri-Met use false advertising on It's buses?
TriMet bus stickers show trips saved, not cars idled
When Tri-Met states it has for example 20,000 riders you can assume
that number is at least half because the riders must usually return back on the same line.If that rider has to transfer to the Max or another bus to get to their destination that one person now becomes 4 riders or trips.
So 20,000 riders may only be 10,000 people or 5,000 people if they need to transfer once on both trips.
Comment by Randal O'Toole: The above-referenced article doesn't say so, but the Federal Transit Administration says that the typical Tri-Met bus carries an average of just 8.6 people at any given time (i.e., passenger miles divided by bus miles equals 8.6). At least half of those people can't drive, and a few of the others would probably carpool if they didn't take the bus.
So each bus you see represents an average of roughly four cars off the road at the moment you see it. Considering that buses are much bigger (not to mention much stinkier) than four cars, that isn't doing much to ease congestion.
When Tri-Met states it has for example 20,000 riders you can assume
that number is at least half because the riders must usually return back on the same line.If that rider has to transfer to the Max or another bus to get to their destination that one person now becomes 4 riders or trips.
So 20,000 riders may only be 10,000 people or 5,000 people if they need to transfer once on both trips.
Comment by Randal O'Toole: The above-referenced article doesn't say so, but the Federal Transit Administration says that the typical Tri-Met bus carries an average of just 8.6 people at any given time (i.e., passenger miles divided by bus miles equals 8.6). At least half of those people can't drive, and a few of the others would probably carpool if they didn't take the bus.
So each bus you see represents an average of roughly four cars off the road at the moment you see it. Considering that buses are much bigger (not to mention much stinkier) than four cars, that isn't doing much to ease congestion.
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