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hail, hail the 56, gone and dead forever. but ridership at large is up, mysterisouly enough . . . from the KCATA website: "From January to June, Metro buses averaged 47,880 passenger boardings during the week which represent a 7.8 percent increase compared to 2005. Weekend ridership is also up averaging 24,640 passenger boardings on Saturdays for a 5.1 percent increase and 11,086 boardings on Sundays, an increase of 1.1 percent." the metro puts the blame on a combination of higher gas prices, improved routes, the MAX, and marketing campaigns. this goes hand in glove with US gasoline at $3 drives people onto buses, trains. Katrina did much the same thing. is $3 the magic ceiling for ordinary commuters--ie, those not driving twenty-foot land-sharks from day care to soccer practice to the law offices of thievem, cheatem, and steele? or will we 'get used to it' and pay up? hard to say. but we're up sixteen cents in the last month, and although crude prices have trended gently downwards since $78, with all that that implies, we are also headed towards the memorial day driving season and the busier economic period of the fall. bloomberg also suggests fuel might be more expensive next week, and the latest news out of the middle east certainly doesn't stand as a source of confidence. and, too, despite the preternatural quiet of this year's hurricane season, any disturbance in the gulf next month would be a brake on downward trends. you can also start worrying about winter heating, if you like. get on the bus! |
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