By: Diane Benjamin
It’s typical of government to throw more money at services they want instead of looking for alternatives. Connect Transit is a perfect example. I can’t think of words to describe what a disaster they have created.
See the Income Statement below. (March 22 packet: http://www.connect-transit.com/about/trustees/packet.asp)
Budgeted Revenue: $1,611,719
Budgeted Expenses: $11,511,000
Budgeted Administration Wages: $1,030,000
Administration eats most of the Revenue!
From the February Board meeting:
http://www.apta.com/mc/transitboard/Pages/default.aspx
I wonder who signed up for the free trip to Texas? This was included in the February expenses:
Funny how the Income Statement doesn’t have a line item for Travel & Meetings. Where is it buried? The $5,636 could have been Texas or different Travel & Meetings.
Is this where the Board is trained to think spending SEVEN times more REVENUE is sustainable? This is “best practices”? (government’s favorite term to control you)
The General Manager gets a $500 @ month CAR ALLOWANCE! Why isn’t he taking the bus?
.
Finally, residents of Phoenix Towers are upset about changes to routes. From February meeting minutes:
I’ve got some “best practices” advice: picking up 4-5 people a day in HUGE buses isn’t sustainable! Try innovating instead. See this story: http://www.inc.com/damon-brown/in-the-ultimate-coup-uber-takes-over-citys-mass-transit.html?cid=sf01001&sr_share=twitter
Incorporate Uber!
Yes, that is a City replacing public transportation with Uber.
Bloomington and Normal taxpayers are now forced to send Connect Transit even more money.
Costs for utilizing Uber not only give citizens an opportunity to make money, mostly empty buses won’t be needed.
Uber is the 21st Century while Connect Transit is a dinosaur.
See the Board of Trustees here: http://www.connect-transit.com/about/trustees/default.asp
Somebody needs to ask for mental health examinations!
Not everyone can afford Uber. What is predictable is your response.
Tom
Sent from my iPhone
>
READ THE ARTICLE. If you had bothered you would know the answer.
i love the fact that u havent blocked this Tom guy. playing with trolls is so much fun lol
But we can afford the continued massive losses with Connect Transit? If the government wasn’t so tax heavy and wasting of the citizens money, more folks could afford more. I think Tom that your math must be following communist core logic.
Both the Town of Normal and the City of Bloomington provide about $1M of taxpayer dollars each to subsidize Connect Transit. The Federal government also provides subsidies. The idea that ridership will go up if routes are reduced and consolidated doesn’t make any sense to me. Connect Transit just spent how much to purchase and install the bus signs? Now the consultant is making changes after the fact.
Earlier this week the Pantagraph reported Mr. Johnson saying that by bringing the bus service closer to the city’s core, people who plan to locate here will view it as a positive reason to move here. Oh, really?
Connect Transit plans to discontinue service to Danbury Court, a Section 8 housing project, located in the very South side of town. The nearest grocery stores are on Oakland near Veterans or Main Street near IWU–no sidewalks or bike trails. How are these residents to get to work or get groceries if they don’t own a car?
Travel expenses: Mr. Johnson was part of the One Voice delegation who went to Washington, D.C. to lobby for Federal dollars.
I forgot to mention–there is NO accountability!
My mom cornered Mr Johnson on the bus one day and let him have it with both barrels! The ppl on the bus applauded mom for standing up for them to him but alas it went in one ear and out the other. Mr Johnson did what he wanted and to hell with the taxpayers. Must be nice to have his own public funded car when elderly and low income ppl are going to be forced to walk to get their groceries.
and to think, part of the recent tax hikes went to these bozos running the bus service. You could buy each and every bus rider a taxi ride with the kinds of deficits the bus service is running. And still come out ahead. All those big gas guzzling hulks are always empty.
This is what happens when liberals get placed in charge. Detroit, LA, Baltimore. Utter hellholes because demo’s have no sense of fiscal control. This is the path that Bloomington is now on. Once the money suckers get into office, there is nothing you can do but move.
Absolutely “spot on”!
“You could buy each and every bus rider a taxi ride with the kinds of deficits the bus service is running.” Crazy, but true. Simple math.
Lemme take a stab at promoting Uber from a leftist/socialist/’progressive’ perspective.
________________________________________________________
Using Uber will reduce the damage to the environment by reducing the carbon footprint left by running empty buses all day long. We can then take positive steps to saving our planet and prevent the oceans from boiling over in 20 years!
Additionally, we’d really be ‘sticking it’ to the BIG OIL!
#FeelTheBern
#StickingItToBigOil
#SadEmptyBuses
#OMG_TheOceansAreBoilingOver
#HumanBeingsSuck
Sent from Tommy’s La-La land
________________________________________________________
Hows that?
If the transit ppl would LISTEN to the public’s needs instead of making elderly walk blocks to get a bus then the money allocation would be tolerable. But try to be a 85 year old woman with a disability using a walker in a winter situation trying to get a bus! Try being someone period having to cross Lincoln or Main or Veterans to catch a bus because its more convenient for the drivers NOT to go where the elderly or anyone lives to get a bus. If the transit ppl would remember WHO PAYS THEIR SALARIES maybe (though I doubt it) maybe they would listen to people! The whole point of the busses was to make transportation for those who cannot drive not to line the pockets of a paper pusher . PUBLIC transportation should be accessible to the ENTIRE PUBLIC ! I rant on this because I have a mother who now thanks to BTS has to walk (with her walker) blocks to catch a bus & has to cross Lincoln st. I also have a sister who takes the bus (when it shows up!) to get to work and home again.
Tongue in cheek but true!! Connect Transit wants to hear public input so they have scheduled a hearing session on a weekday sometime around 4:30 pm at Heartland Community College. Could that be more convenient for those who actually need to use public transportation!?! Are they taking lessons from the County?
I’d bet comments won’t be allowed on what they are COSTING taxpayers!
You’re probably right about not being able to comment about taxpayer cost but some people should. I just read in the paper that the meeting will be in Uptown instead of HCC.
Perfect location! Government development at taxpayer expense provides room for government transportation doing the same thing.
Yeah Uber,,,seriously? Then tons more people would use the “free” service and what would that cost? More? Less? Heck I could take a free Uber while bar hopping all over town. How would an alternative service work? I am not a fan of what Connect Transit deficits are but a well thought out better alternative (besides smaller buses) plan is what…?
Uber wouldn’t be free – read the article.
My mom tried to take the bus to get to one of their meetings but the bus was running 1/2 late so she didnt make it, you want irony??
Uber is now trying to move into the crony capitalist market space…?
At least in one city!