Comments on: Does C-TRAN need ‘high capacity’ and Bus Rapid Transit on The Vine?

By: Jim

Jim — Sun, 27 Jun 2021 01:26:32 +0000

You do t build infrastructure for today – you build
it for 50 years from now.
Current example: The Intertie to California was built in 1960’s and people laughed Waste of $. Never be needed.
Fast forward to today. It is the ONLY reason California isn’t in a black out right now and we are selling our power to them wh I have keeps our rates
lower than they would otherwise be.

By: LEO

LEO — Fri, 25 Jun 2021 22:01:20 +0000

The bigger busses are a bigger waste of money and manpower and government expansion. Shrink the footprint.

By: Pete Masterson

Pete Masterson — Fri, 25 Jun 2021 17:17:25 +0000

The sad fact of all public transit systems is that to operate a “comprehensive” service, they must run busses (mostly empty) for much of the day. The peak commute time is generally 6-9 AM and 4-6 PM … but drivers and other operating staff get paid for an 8-hour day (or get a premium for a “split shift”), so that expense runs all the time.

The reality is that the boards and government organizations that plan transit and other transportation needs rarely ever do a true “marketing” study (what do people really want and what are they willing to pay for).

The Federal government offers a variety of subsidies, which local “transit planners” work to receive, regardless of local needs.

I note that Vine busses are designed for the “raised platform” loading, making it impossible for standard busses to operate (at lower cost) during non-peak hours (so Million dollar busses run nearly empty for many hours every day — (and how “green” is that?))

Might be better to run busses during commute hours only, and “subsidize” Uber or Lyft rides for the rest of the time. (Ah, but that’s “out of the box” thinking, something that bureaucrats would never do.)

By: Jon

Jon — Wed, 23 Jun 2021 20:45:47 +0000

I’ve noticed the empty busses too! Disappointing!

By: Bob

Bob — Tue, 22 Jun 2021 21:58:38 +0000

And add to the fact that C-Tran bought 10 buses for $11,000,000 from a Canadian company. That’s how you export jobs and wealth!

By: John Ley

John Ley — Tue, 22 Jun 2021 05:16:35 +0000

In reply to jim.

Jim — good point about spend $50 million to save a million.

In reality, they haven’t “saved” anything. More to follow.

By: jim

jim — Tue, 22 Jun 2021 05:02:06 +0000

What a waste:
They spend $50million to save about a million/year. That’ll take 50 years to break even!

But it’s not C-Tran’s money – they only spent $7.2 million for about a 7 year break even FOR THEM.
That is the big flaw in federal subsidies. The project is an utter waste, but since the local agency (C-Tran) pays only a fraction, it makes sense for that agency.

See DebunkingPortland dot com for more on transit waste in general.

By: KJH

KJH — Mon, 21 Jun 2021 22:50:33 +0000

Nope. Just more of the typical stupidity of CTrans.

They had our money to waste and by golly, they’ve wasted it. Naturally the self-serving bureaucrats will attempt to delude themselves… and us… into stupidly “thinking” that the loathed mass transit/loot rail scam they so love is ever going to be bought by the tax-paying public, but as they’ve shown… repeatedly… they could care less what those they allegedly serve…. either want, or need.