[NFBF-Tampa] article from the Tampa Bay Times spotlighting local transportation

Tue Jan 24 22:30:20 UTC 2017

Hello to all,

I thought you might find this article of interest.

It is pasted below my signature.

Warm regards

Sherrill O'Brien, Secretary, Tampa Bay Chapter

After six years of growth, Pinellas and Hillsborough see sudden drop in bus
ridership

Caitlin Johnston, Times Staff Writer

Monday, January 23, 2017 5:30am

The Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority reported its ridership fell
more than 6 percent to just over 14 million rides - nearly 1 million fewer

trips than in fiscal year 2015.

Bus ridership saw a sudden drop in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties last
year, mirroring a nationwide trend.

The Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority saw the steepest decline, dropping
10 percent. The agency provided about 1.5 million fewer passenger trips,
falling

to 13.4 million trips from fiscal year 2015 to 2016.

"Plummeted might be the right word," said PSTA CEO Brad Miller.

Across the bay, the slide was smaller but still substantial, with
Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority ridership falling more than 6
percent to

just over 14 million rides. That's nearly 1 million trips fewer than in
fiscal year 2015.

It was a sudden drop for the Tampa Bay region after six straight years of
growth. The two agencies last year logged the fewest passenger trips since
2011.

Transportation experts attribute this to a number of factors: lower gas
prices, a still-rebounding economy and service cuts.

This national trend is especially noteworthy in a region that has heavily
debated the costs and benefits of investing more in transit.

Transit advocates say not to fear: This is a blip on the radar and all other
indicators show bus ridership will rebound and continue to grow in future

years. But for those who have spent years opposing increased sales taxes to
pay for bus and rail, this is more evidence for why the region should spend

less on transit and focus more on roads.

There's little contesting the causes. Experts agree it's a combination of
the drop in gas prices along with many transit agencies having to reduce
routes

and frequency during the Great Recession.

"When you have a combination of reduced gas prices, which makes driving more
attractive, and service cuts that make some trips more difficult, that leads

to shifts in use," said Darnell Grisby, director of policy development and
research at the American Public Transportation Association.

But Hillsborough County Tea Party co-founder Sharon Calvert, who opposed
attempts to raise the sales tax to fund transit in 2010 and 2016, said those
factors

don't do enough to account for the fact that most people, when given the
choice, don't want to take the bus.

"I'm sure the gas prices have something to do with it, but the bottom line
is the choice riders, their choice is not taking the bus," she said.
"They're

driving."

She said the numbers also validate last year's decision by Hillsborough
County commissioners to not put a sales-tax increase on the ballot in
November.

The 30-year measure would've increased the sales tax by half a penny to
raise money for road maintenance, bike and pedestrian improvements, and
transit

options such as increased bus service and a light rail between downtown
Tampa and the airport.

"We need to avoid going down these paths of spending billions of dollars on
something that truly may become irrelevant in the not-too-distant future,"

Calvert said. "It would be better to make sure you remain flexible and
nimble."

Neither Miller nor HART CEO Katharine Eagan are concerned that the lower
2016 ridership numbers will hurt their chances of getting local, state and
federal

funding. Part of the reason is because most of the money HART is applying
for isn't for traditional bus service, but instead for more innovative
projects

such as van service to help get people to and from bus stops, commuter
service to the airport and a voucher system for people with disabilities.

"If we were asking for the same thing that was losing ridership, that would
be a different situation," Eagan said. "That's one of the reasons why the
things

we're asking for are not the traditional solutions."

Instead, HART is asking for support to move innovative partnerships into new
markets where officials think they're capturing more riders, such as van
service

in Brandon and 15-minute frequency between busy hubs such as Tampa
International Airport, Westshore and downtown Tampa.

"If the portion of your market share is shrinking with the tool you're
using, get another tool out there," Eagan said. "It's really basic
economics."

Similarly, PSTA launched a partnership last week with Uber and taxis to
provide rides to and from stops for $1. The program helps expand the
agency's coverage

at a fraction of the cost of running a traditional bus route. It's also
investing in more frequent bus routes between downtown and the beach, which
will

run in their own lanes during rush hour.

"I know having more frequent bus service will generate additional riders
because it will be more viable to more people," Miller said. "If the bus
came

every 10 minutes or even 5 minutes . . . we would have more riders and we
would be shielded from some of these economic factors that right now we have

no control over. But that would take more resources."

PSTA and HART already have smaller budgets than most major metros in the
country. But lower ridership translates to less income from fare boxes,
further

exacerbating the problem.

Grisby said it's unfair to make decisions about funding and the worth of a
system based on one year's ridership numbers. Before 2016, bus ridership had

been rising steadily over the past decade. And, though it doesn't affect
Tampa Bay, rail ridership has either stayed steady or increased nationwide.

"Transit ridership is much like the stock market: Overall, you will face an
increase over time," Grisby said. "It's unfair to take a snapshot in time."

In fact, all major variables are pointing to longer-term gains in ridership,
Grisby said, such as an increase in population, shifting demographics and

new technologies that make getting a ride easier.

"I think public transportation around the country is becoming a more viable
option for people because of new technology and these partnerships with
companies

like Uber," Grisby said. "It's definitely a time to make more investments in
public transit."

But Calvert noted that, at least with these most recent numbers, bus
ridership declined as Hillsborough's population continues to rise.

"You're talking about bus ridership going down while your population is
going up," Calvert said. "So there's a total disconnect between a growing
county

and transit."

Contact Caitlin Johnston at cjohnston at tampabay.com or (727) 893-8779. Follow
@cljohnst.

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