Yearly Archives: 2005

DART seeks fare solution?

This entry was posted in Capitalism Economics Libertarianism Transportation on by

Perhaps they should be seeking a fair solution instead?

Rising gas prices are prompting a growing number of North Texas commuters to park their cars in favor of buses and trains, but Dallas Area Rapid Transit is considering service cuts to help balance its budget.
Though DART ridership has increased 11 percent on its bus and light-rail lines and 18 percent on the Trinity Railway Express commuter line, the additional passengers have not helped the agency’s finances.
The problem: a lower-than-expected sales tax revenue forecast for 2006 throughout the region, and increased fuel costs.
The sales tax numbers are crucial because DART gets most of its revenue from that source. The transit agency, which spends about $887,000 a day to run its buses and rail lines, recovers about 11 percent of its daily operating cost through fares.
…….
According to DART, Route 234 attracts an average of 59 riders a day, and that translates into a subsidy of almost $24 for every passenger trip. The transit agency has pushed for those riders to form van pools, which have a subsidy of about $1 per passenger trip
In considering which bus lines to shrink or eliminate, DART weighs one route’s performance against similar routes. Route 234 supporters argued to the board that the Plano-to-Irving bus service is vastly different from other express routes that run from outlying stops directly to downtown Dallas. Those routes have a goal of a $4.50 subsidy per passenger trip.

Reads like another typical case of a government involved market failure.
The only fair solution is one where the subsidy per passenger trip is $0.00 and fares cover both the cost of operations and capital. If the passengers object then they should seek out an alternative that does not include taking money from others to subsidize their choices of where to live and work.

I and the Bird #8 is UP

This entry was posted in Bird Blogging on by

Trout Grrrl at Science and Sarcasm is hosting I and the Bird #8:

We’ve collected 23 wonderful posts for your reading pleasure. Stories include observations of Australian Red Caps, a close encounter with a European Orange-headed Thrush, ravens at the Arctic Circle and several accounts of North American species – common and less so.

Fly on over and check’m out!

hacks and cronies

This entry was posted in Government on by

Listed ad nauseum in your guide to the US Government:

As the official handbook of the Federal Government, the United States Government Manual provides comprehensive information on the agencies of the legislative, judicial, and executive branches. It also includes information on quasi-official agencies, international organizations in which the United States participates, and boards, commissions, and committees.

This should be a fine resource for anyone with blogger’s block or wanting to understand a little more clearly why so many things don’t work real well in the US.
Via beSpacific.

Price Gouging?

This entry was posted in Business US Economics Energy Environment Federal Government Libertarianism Regulation on by

Post Katrina gas prices maybe went up 10-15% depending on where you lived and in most cases they have rolled back down. Nevertheless, cries of price gouging were rampant and continue. But that is gas. If it is some other good like, say, oysters then it is a feel good story:

With two-thirds of Louisiana oyster beds wiped out by the Aug. 29 storm, prices of Pacific oysters have soared as Gulf Coast processors scour for alternatives thousands of miles away. That’s allowed Taylor Shellfish to raise its prices 38 percent in the past month to $40 per gallon of oysters.
“It’s the strongest demand that I’ve ever seen for oysters,” says William Taylor, ……
Prices have surged as much as 50 percent since the hurricane, according to the Pacific Coast Shellfish Growers Association, giving the Northwest growers some relief, even as they sympathize with the hurricane victims 2,000 miles away.

Imagine the outcry if gasoline prices had gone up 50%!
Seems like so-called market forces working the way they should in both cases. It can, though, be a bit hard to tell if the market is really working in the extensively regulated and subsidized oil and gasoline business.