Lincolnite

Of course, if StarTran operated 24/7 in all quadrants of the city, they’d have a lot larger budget than $9.2 million, and this would, indeed, be a smaller piece of it. I would say that I don’t know if the idea has merit, it should be good for some discussion. Certainly, if the idea were approved, someone could figure out a way to compete for the business and get expenses lower than $53 an hour.

If only there was some kind of magical service that you could call, and a car would come and get you, wherever you are, and take you to where you want to be. They could just charge the rider per ride, and not have the city paying them 24/7. Hmmmm.

The sarcaso-meter is on in force today!

Ive never cabbed in Lincoln, so I don’t know what it costs. 1.25 a ride for a bus is great, but if I lose 2.5 hours of my life for 2.50-it starts to get expensive in terms of cost benefit.

Man, have I got it easy. I pick up the bus and get to work before 8:00.  I have two options to take the bus home and each trip is around 30 minutes. At $2.50 a day, it’s hard to find a reason not to take the bus.

Unfortunately this doesn’t work during the school year when my son needs to be to school before 8:00.

I don’t understand the OMALiNK letter. If they give a portion of StarTran’s budget to private providers, what happens to StarTran?

This is worth more discussion but with the city facing a $9 million shortfall, I don’t know where the money comes from for something like this.

I’ve often thought one solution for StarTran would be vans or smaller buses—you know, the “short bus.” Not so sure it should be privatized, though. For most bus riders, who use StarTran out of need and not environmental consciousnes, Fletch’s cab solution is simply not cost-feasible.

I for one am glad that my tax dollars subsidize public transportation, though I’d be in favor of ways to get more for our money. And I’d gladly take the bus to work if I didn’t work too late to take it home.

StarTran’s budget is around $9 million?  We have a current budget deficit of $9 million? Hmmmmmmmm ...

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The smaller vehicles make a lot of sense to me, especially for the downtown shuttles and for the routes that are sparsely utilized.

Then again, I also think bike racks on the bus are a great idea but StarTran finds “cost/benefit arguments” to not do that either.

They claim it will cost $2,500 per bus to put on a bike rack (and screw up their overnight parking). I think I could find someone to install bike racks for a lot less than $2,500 per bus.

If I remember correctly, the Downtown Master Study that was completed a couple of years ago recommended the downtown shuttle service convert to smaller buses or vans.

I would think smaller buses or vans would be worth the study. If they were always filled to capacity, they could be replaced with larger rides or shorter times between routes. I don’t really ride StarTran, so I can’t say - but how often, other than when they are used to gawk at Christmas lights or shuttling Husker fans, are they really full?

...how often, other than when they are used to gawk at Christmas lights or shuttling Husker fans, are they really full?

Some routes get quite full in the mornings and evenings. During the school year the College View (#3), for example, is often near capacity and occasionally standing room only on the trips that arrive downtown during the 7:00am hour. In the middle of the day, however…

That’s good information. Now, if they had some short buses or vans, they could maximize their efficiencies and use larger vehicles on busy routes and busy times, and smaller vehicles on less busy routes and less busy times. They could get those smaller vans like Madonna uses. It’s kind of like how a restaurant is fully staffed for lunch and dinner, and less so during the middle of the afternoon. But, that would bring logic to the table, and this is the city gov’t we’re talking about.