By: Diane Benjamin
From Connect Transit’s October report: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1anF4rCMlP7zqbGQ3vM1EE6PhNz-FaJ9x/view
PDF page 14
Ridership Increasing!
Problem?
Those 225,646 generated less than $100,000. The first chart only reflects Fixed Routes, not Connect Mobility.
Of course there is more to the story:
See this link for October 2016: PDF page 20 https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4zAZemF_qQuZEhveVl3aVMzakE/view
Total Operating Revenue with fewer riders was higher: $117,770.50. Other Contract Fees and Advertising were both much higher.
But, why quibble with numbers when 23.71 people board per hour!
(PDF page 11)
Revenues don’t come close to covering salaries:
PDF page 7
Of course that’s before health insurance, Social Security and Medicare, and pensions.
Bottom Line:
PDF page 7
Our government is operating on feelings.
They feel stealing $12 Million a year from the people who worked hard for it is justified. Common Sense has no place.
Or maybe votes are just being bought with your money.
Side note: The newspaper reported Connect is going to tear down their old buildings. The City of Bloomington will jump on the property to prevent anybody else from buying it. (Like anybody cares)
They neglected to say anything about the operating losses. Maybe that’s why LEE Enterprises stock price is $2.38 today. In 2004 it was $49.00. Google “stock price LEE”. A press release says they serve 55 markets in 22 states. Daily circulation is .9 million, on Sunday it’s 1.2 million. See the Press release HERE
(I’m thinking my circulation is higher than theirs!)
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Well at one time the YMCA was interested in that property to expand with a skywalk following their failed attempt to locate on the far east side. Maybe they will try to again to get that property.
Good grief could you imagine a business operating like this. They would be bankrupt in no time and closed.
I wonder if the City will loan them the money?
A loan, oh no. Raise the tax rate to fund them would be the norm. Tari wants them to stay in the inner core of the city. Which is a big mistake in my opinion. I don’t recall when Tari said that for his downtown master plan.
Champaign/Urbana built a new one way out in the country sort of west of Champaign and it flourished. They told me when they were located in the inner city they were dying from lack of membership. When they moved they got new members. I even joined because I was very frustrated with the aquatics facilities here.
Over there they got a huge local private donation. Haha that likely won’t ever happen here. No new money because most people are living pay check to pay check, no wealth here. Old money people have moved on to elsewhere.
About the same thing took place at Mukwanago, WI. They moved outside the city and grew. They got a large local donation also. I think they recently added on.
The moment some politician tries to rein in Connect Transit, we’ll see sob stories of working class, single mothers paraded before the City Council as props in a sad, sick play. CT is likely already a third-rail.
The first speaker at Council Monday was a lady complaining about the stops and the service, like the Council cares or can do anything about it.
Maybe she can get a Target gift card from Santa Koos!
OMG. A private entity would go broke. Ohhhhh, it’s a public entity.