Making Bus Transfers Work

I don't ride transit much. Technically I work from home. Then again, technically I'm also retired. None of that is by design. It just happened.

So this morning I decided to take the No. 82 bus that stops near my home to a Starbucks that has a nice working area. When you work from home any place with Wi-Fi can be your office.

The driver, a younger (I'm 62; it's all a matter of perspective) black women gave my senior pass a quick glance as I stepped into the bus and welcomed me aboard. Her uniform included shorts and knee-high black boots with rows of metal studs around the top and across the toes.

At that point in the driver's route I was only the second passenger. I settled in for my short ride, getting out my Nexus 7 tablet to read. I wasn't really paying much attention as the bus stopped and started, picking up and letting off riders.

When we stopped at Marconi several riders boarded. There was a delay after the last of the new riders took their seats. This isn't a timing stop, so the delay drew my attention. And then the driver asked, "Did anyone get on from the 25?" The woman across from me raised her hand and several riders behind me said, "Yes."

And I thought to myself, that's cool. Commuting on buses on routes that require a transfer can be incredibly frustrating. The 25 runs east-west on Marconi every half-hour. My bus crosses this stop on Watt every half-hour. A half-hour 25 to 82 trip could easily turn into an hour ordeal without that connection.

I don't know whether all drivers on the 82 wait for the 25 when they reach Watt, but I and everyone who got on from the 25 appreciated that the driver wanted to be sure no one was left behind.

Regional Transit's Connect Card Testing

From the General Manager's report to the board at Monday's meeting:

CONNECT CARD EMPLOYEE SYSTEMS TEST
Last week on February 18th, 19th and 20th, RT and SACOG employees tested the ConnectCard (our smart card system) on the Route 30 buses, and at the 29th Street and 13th Street Light Rail Stations. The tests were conducted to test the hardware at stations and on buses and the controlling computer systems. During the tests, employees acting as riders boarded buses and trains using the Connect Cards. Employees logged their transactions for later comparison to the system data. Employees tested various types of passes and the cash purse. The system performed as expected. This test will be followed by the customer pilot which is planned for April/May. Staff expects to roll out the system for the general public use this summer.

 Will "Smart Cards" Make People Want To Ride Sacramento Regional Transit?

Will "Smart Cards" Make People Want To Ride Sacramento Regional Transit?

So today I gave The Kid my car and used my senior pass to take my local bus down to Wendy's on Watt for lunch. Made me feel sort of transitarian again.

It was when I was waiting to get off the bus 10 minutes later, that I was surprised to see a Connect Card fare reader on the pole just inside the front door of the bus.

"Wow," I said to the driver. "When's this going to start?"

"You'll know before we do," the driver replied. "Probably another five more years."

I've written before about the coming of "smart cards" and my concern that all of the convenience of tapping your card to board the bus will mask major fare increases. What I had to say back in May 2008 deserves rereading -- Smart Cards and Dumb Fares -- and a response from RT.

After lunch at Wendy's I walked next door to Starbucks and fired up my laptop to do a little research.  Turns out the coming smart card, to be known as Connect Card, has its own website -- www.connecttransitcard.com -- and a YouTube channel that was created three months ago.


The Sacramento Area Council of Governments is the lead agency bringing this innovation to the region, with six (or seven if Placer joins) transit agencies in addition to RT signed up to participate. (Here's a slideshow outlining SACOG's efforts.)

According to SACOG's Overall Work Program Fiscal Year 2013-14 Amendment #1 -- December 12, 2013,  the 14-004-06 Connect Card Implementation line item total expenditure is budgeted at $10,876,751, of which $5,015,000 this year is for equipment and software. Most of the $10 million funding comes from the Federal Highway Administration's Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement (CMAQ) Program ($5,172,078) and Proposition 1B matching funds ($4,321,057).

The system pilot program is scheduled to start next month, with Phase 1 of the system roll out in May and system roll out of phases 2-5 in July. The final acceptance of the new fare system is scheduled for September.

Here's SACOG description of the project: "This project is the implementation planning, procurement, and deployment of a regional universal transit fare card system (Connect Card). A new electronic fare system is expected to simplify transit system operations, improve system connectivity, contribute to regional air quality goals, and increase the attractiveness of transit to new patrons."

Sometime between now and September a big media campaign is supposed to launch, but there's nothing at Sacramento Regional Transit's website.

In January, General Manager Mike Wiley, was asked during his monthly "Transit Talk with the General Manager": "Has RT thought about decreasing fares during commute times to encourage transit ridership? Or otherwise varying the fare depending on the route? For example, charging a little more on the routes that tend to be overcrowded, and charging a little less on those that struggle to retain riders?"

Wiley's response: "RT staff has a number of ideas regarding fare structure and pricing. However, in order to consider any changes we must first successfully implement the new Connect Card, our new electronic fare card. It is scheduled for implementation July 1, 2014. Once that is accomplished we will be able to consider numerous fare changes to both the structure and pricing."

So I ask the question again: Will adding Sacramento Regional Transit's dumb fares to the proposed "smart card" make the system stupid?

Celebrity Transportation

Can't resist:

The fastest way to reach your destination in a crowded city is usually public transportation, especially when traveling between boroughs or neighborhoods. It may smell and a few people may breathe or sneeze on you, but at least you won't have to worry about traffic jams. 

Celebrities can't resist the convenience of the bus or subway, and despite the luxury of a private car, the rich and famous often hitch a ride on mass transit.

Photos and more here.

Now if only Sacramento had transit that was so extensive that it actually made traveling between neighborhoods an appealing alternative to traffic jams.

Sacramento Regional Transit is planning to update its strategic plan. In theory the plan "will provide a framework to guide change and progress for transit service in the Sacramento region over the next five years."

More about the Strategic Plan can be found here.  Here's an illustration of the process and timeline.

Scoring Sacramento Transit Service

Walk Score, a valuable resource for identifying great places to live and work, has released its 2014 City & Neighborhood Ranking, which includes the ranking of transit service in 141 cities with populations of more than 200,000 in the US, Canada and Australia. Sacramento comes in 39th with a Transit Score of 33.4.

In a “the glass is half-full; the glass is half-empty” examination, one can point out that 85 of those 141 cities were not ranked for their Transit Score, which makes Sacramento’s 33.4 score 39th of 56 rated cities. (The fact that Fremont, Calif., is not ranked even though it is served by BART should underline that unscored does not necessarily mean unserved.)

The people of Walk Score have a detailed methodology and some tough rankings. For instance, no US city makes the top category, “Rider’s Paradise – World-class public transportation.” The top four US cities – New York, San Francisco, Boston and Washington, D.C. -- just reach the second tier, “Excellent Transit – Transit is convenient for most trips.”

Sacramento, at least the city, falls into the “Some Transit—A few nearby public transportation options.”  And that really is an accurate description of the city. Within the city, Walk Score breaks the Transit Scores by neighborhood.  And, as expected, top scores do to Downtown 65, Alkali Flat 64, Mansion Flats 61, Southside Park 60, and Richmond Grove 59. At the other extreme is 11 Transit Score given to the  Westlake neighborhood west of I-5 where it splits with Highway 99.

Of course, if you took the entire Sacramento Regional Transit service area or, worse yet, the Metropolitan Region, it is unlikely the score would stay in the “Some Transit” range, which encompasses scores from 25 to 49.  My home, which is less than 100 yards from the No. 82 bus stop and less than a mile from the No. 1 bus, ranks just 30 on the Transit Score. (We won’t even discuss the dismal 28 Walk Score. As Walk Score points out, “This location is a Car-Dependent neighborhood so most errands require a car.”)

Where Sacramento really shines is its bike score. Sacramento’s 68.3 places the city 7th, behind Minneapolis, Portland, San Francisco, Arlington, Denver and Philadelphia. And that score, I think, would stand up well outside the city limits. Three neighborhoods – Midtown, Marshall School and Newton Booth – get 100 Bike Scores. Another six get 99 scores.

On the other hand, it can be pointed out that Sacramento’s overall 68.3 only makes the city “Bikeable – Some bike infrastructure.” But then no US city makes the “Biker’s Paradise – Daily errands can be accomplished on a bike.” The top US cities are just middling “Very Bikeable – Biking is convenient on most trips.”

A survey of Sacramento transit needs

You can take this survey here but after you've taken it you can't review or discuss. So here are the questions. I've added some links to related content.  Tomorrow I'll offer some commentary.

1. The future arena in downtown will be an important project in the coming years. How critical is public transit to the success of the future arena plan?

• Critical
• Very important
• Somewhat important
• Not very important
• Not sure (no opinion)

2. Are you familiar with the plan for a street car system in downtown Sacramento?

• Yes
• No
• Not sure (no opinion)

3. If you are familiar with the proposed streetcar project, do you feel the construction of a streetcar line would be an improvement to the transit system?

• Yes
• No
• Not sure (no opinion)

4. In your opinion is public art an important component of light rail station design and construction (does it enhance the public transit experience)?

• Yes
• No
• Not sure (no opinion)

5. In your opinion, what are the highest priority public transit projects in Sacramento County? (Rank the following 1-6, 1 being highest priority)

• Light Rail Expansion
• Bus Service Expansion
• Light Rail Station and/or Bus Stop Improvements
• Streetcar projects
• Transit Oriented Development Projects (development around stations)
• Other (please list project with ranking)

With friends like this . . .

For years I've relied on Watch That Page to let me know when Regional Transit changes the content of its front page.  It is a free service and works well on pages such as RT's that don't offer RSS news feeds.

Anyway, the other day I was alerted to a new link on RT's home page.

I'll discuss the survey later (click on the link and let them know your opinion) but since it has been several years since I paid attention to things RT, I decided to find out who, exactly, are these "Friends of Light Rail and Transit.

A quick Google search located www.friendsoflightrail.org, but don't go there without wearing some protection.

With friends like this . . .

That's not fair. As a web developer I know what it is like to get hacked. It's like having your house burgled. You've been violated.

I've had two sites I maintained suddenly sprout ads for prescription drugs. One of the attacks was impressively sneaky. The ads only displayed when a search engine bot visited. "Regular" visitors didn't see the ads. More than 20,000 individual pages were uploaded by the hacker and carefully indexed by Google (and I suppose other search engines). I didn't know the site was hacked until a guy contacted me to let me know.

The Friends of Light Rail and Transit hack is more blatant. Those links at the bottom of the page are an obvious indication that something is amiss. I have to assume that the friends don't have a lot of friends visiting to let them know they have been hacked.

I sent a note off to the contact email address last week. No response.

A graphic illustration of RT's management

Tonight's "Management Notes" from Sacramento Regional Transit General Manager Mike Wiley includes these dry statistics (Agenda Item No. 6):

• RT’s farebox recovery ratio in the month of December was 22.2 percent and year-to date it is 22.5 percent. It has decreased by 4.1 percent compared to December 2012 and decreased by 2.3 percent year-to-date. In relation to the District’s established goal for FY 2013, the RT’s farebox recovery ratio is 0.7 percent below the established year-to-date goal. For the month of December, fare revenue was $2.3 million and below budget by $174 thousand.
• Systemwide ridership for the month of December compared to the same period last year increased by 7.4 percent, rail ridership increased 1.9 percent and combined bus ridership increased 13.2 percent. Year-to-date, systemwide ridership compared to the same period last year increased by 0.4 percent, rail ridership decreased 3.6 percent and combined bus ridership increased 4.6 percent. In relation to the District’s established year-to-date ridership goals for FY 2014, systemwide ridership was 0.1 percent below the established goal, rail ridership was 4.2 percent below the goal, and combined bus ridership was 4.2 percent above the goal.
• Year-to-date, RT’s cost per passenger for bus service was under the District’s goal at $5.40, and cost per passenger for rail service was over the District’s goal at $3.97.
• Year-to-date, RT’s other cost factors (cost per hour, cost per mile) are slightly under the District’s budgeted levels for bus and CBS, and over the budgeted level for rail cost per revenue mile.
• Year-to-date, RT’s passengers per revenue hour is below the District’s goal by 5.2 percent for rail, bus is above the goal by 4.0%, and CBS is above the goal by 2.6 percent.

Nothing exciting. Just solid management. The graphic nature of RT's success comes at the end of Wiley's scheduled slideshow when he tosses in sides composed of stats provided by the Sacramento Area Council of Governments. The slides speak for themselves:

An average cost of $4.74 per rider across all RT transit may look like a lot in isolation, but compared with the other transit agencies serving the Sacramento urbanized area, it's a success worth acknowledging.

Crime happens. Even on the train

I have to sympathize with Sacramento Regional Transit's long-suffering general manager, Mike Wiley.  After all, what can you say when asked to comment on the first homicide anyone can recall in the history of the transit district light rail service?

“You have two people who get into an altercation and it ends in a fatality – that’s a situation that could happen anywhere,”  The Sacramento Bee quoted Wiley.

Two nights later, as if to prove Wiley's point, a man was shot and killed near Sacramento Executive Airport. The shooting didn't occur on airport property, which saved the airport's management from having to come up with a comment on the event.

Monday night, Wiley is scheduled to deliver his Monthly Performance Report at the RT Board meeting, part of which will be the Regional Transit crime statistics for December.

"The District’s security statistics from RT’s Police Services indicate a total of 26 reported crimes for the month of December. FY 2014 year-to-date trend for crimes per 1,000 passengers is slightly higher than last year. In the month of December, RT’s Customer Advocacy department recorded 6 security related customer reports, which is a decrease of 4 reports compared to November 2013."

As explained in the agenda handout for Wiley's report, "System crime data [are] based on [Regional Transit Police Services] reports and reports obtained in cooperation with surrounding law enforcement agencies that are felony and misdemeanor crimes and does not include citations for infractions. Examples of felony crime on RT system are assault, robbery, assault with a weapon, auto theft, false impersonation, felony vandalism, burglary, and misdemeanor crime examples are battery, petty theft, misdemeanor vandalism, trespassing."

I suppose RT will be asked to add "homicide" to the "examples of felony crime on RT system."

At times like this I wish I was better at statistics.

For instance, if there is a 0.011 chance of being a victim of a crime for every 1,000 passengers, how does that compare with, for instance, the chance of being a victim of a crime in the city of Sacramento?

Based on November year-to-date statistics, the city of Sacramento, with a population of 475,516, averages more than 1,775 major crimes each month. And that's just the homicides, rapes, robberies, aggravated assaults, burglaries, larcenies and motor vehicle thefts. That doesn't count "false impersonation, felony vandalism ...  and misdemeanor crime[s] ... [of] battery, petty theft, misdemeanor vandalism, trespassing."

Somebody help me out here: Are you more likely to be a victim of a crime while riding transit or while standing on a sidewalk near Sacramento Executive Airport?

Six degrees of separation on the bus

Six degrees of separation is the theory that everyone and everything is six or fewer steps away, by way of introduction, from any other person in the world, so that a chain of "a friend of a friend" statements can be made to connect any two people in a maximum of six steps. Wikipedia

And so, given Six Degrees of separation, I am introduced by The Wife to Lynnsey Evakarla Braun, the transgender woman accused of gunning down a fellow passenger on a Sacramento Regional Transit light rail train.

It seems that Braun was, until recently, a regular rider of the Yolo Bus that The Wife takes most days from downtown Sacramento to her job in West Sacramento.

Not long ago The Wife attempted to befriend Braun. She learned that Braun was originally from Texas. As far as The Wife could tell, Braun was homeless, living out of a suitcase she lugged around with her on the bus and using an all-day bus pass to stay out of the cold. Homeless transgender Texan. Can life be more difficult?

But The Wife soon decided chatting up Braun might not be a good idea. The Wife doesn't recall exactly what Braun said that made her uncomfortable. Something mumbled that didn't make sense. Something clearly disconnected from reality. The Wife stopped talking to Braun. She avoided eye contact when on the bus. It became one of those uncomfortable public transportation dilemmas.

And then Braun was no longer on The Wife's morning ride to the office and soon forgotten.

Until Saturday morning and the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department's booking photo of Lynnsey Evakarla Braun.

"I know that woman," The Wife said, looking over my shoulder at the news story on my computer monitor. "She had a gun?!"

Homeless transgender Texan accused of murder held in Sacramento County Jail separately from male inmates because she identifies as a woman. So it seems life can get more difficult.

Test. Test. Sound check. Test One Two Three Four

I need an outlet. Out of work since the start of the New Year and discouraged about prospects for finding full-time employment at age 62, I'm considering declaring an official end to  the job hunt and announcing my retirement. And since I now qualify for half-price rides on Regional Transit, I find myself back here.

Speaking of senior passes, how does RT pick the expiration date on these things?  Let's imagine the year 2050 and a 99-year-old man hobbling on and off a bus or two and at least one train ride in order to make a personal appearance at RT's Customer Service office in order to renew his bus pass.

Why not set the expiration at 2026, when I'll qualify for Regional Transit's SUPER SENIOR DISCOUNT, a saving of an additional $10 a month. At least at 75 I can imagine getting around well enough to make the trip to get the new pass.

At one time not too long ago, RT offered free rides to the elderly. Ah, the good old days, so important to us old folks. 

I remember when . . .

And the news just gets worse and worse

"Yet some cities are in trouble: Sacramento’s second phase of its South Line light rail may not be funded because of a lack of adequate local commitment to public transportation, even though it scores adequately on the cost-effectiveness front."

Read about it here.

The FTA funding document is here.

Unfinished Business

At 8:09 on the morning of July 30, last year, I sent this email:

from John Hughes
to CAD@sacrt.com
date Thu, Jul 30, 2009 at 8:09 AM
subject Map of proposed change in No. 82 bus route

I would like to have a map showing how the No. 82 bus route would be changed under the proposal currently under consideration.

A portion of the route is going to shift to pick up some of the No. 9 route on Walnut. I want to see where the split will occur and which current No. 82 stops will be affected.

--
John Hughes

Later that afternoon, I received this reply:

from Robert Beverly
to John Hughes
date Thu, Jul 30, 2009 at 3:22 PM
subject Re: Map of proposed change in No. 82 bus route
mailed-by sacrt.com

Mr. Hughes,

Thank you for contacting Regional Transit. Your question has been forwarded to our Planning Department for an response.

Sincerely,

Robert H. Beverly
Customer Advocacy
Sacramento Regional Transit District
916.557.4545
916.456.1752 fax
cad@sacrt.com

This message, together with any attachments, is intended only for the use of the individual or entity to whom it is addressed and may contain information that is confidential and prohibited from disclosure. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, or copying of this message, or any attachment, is strictly prohibited. If you have received this message in error, please notify the original sender immediately by telephone or by return e-mail and delete this message along with any attachments. Thank you.

The next day I replied:

from John Hughes
to Robert Beverly
date Fri, Jul 31, 2009 at 3:39 PM
subject Re: Map of proposed change in No. 82 bus route
mailed-by gmail.com

Can I at least get a street by street description of changes proposed in No. 82 route?

Three days, 23 hours and six minutes later I received this response:

from Robert Beverly
to John Hughes
date Tue, Aug 4, 2009 at 2:45 PM
subject Re: Map of proposed change in No. 82 bus route
mailed-by sacrt.com

hide details 8/4/09

Mr. Hughers,

The person who handles that information is currently on vacation, he will be back on Thursday.

Sincerely,


Robert H. Beverly
Customer Advocacy
Sacramento Regional Transit District
916.557.4545
916.456.1752 fax
cad@sacrt.com

So maybe it wasn't such a big surprise to have the Sacramento Regional Transit Planning Department get back to me on my original inquiry six months, four days, two hours and nine minutes later.

from Mark Bennett
to jlhughes@gmail.com
cc Jamie Poole-Canevari ,
Robert Beverly ,
Sharon Cohen ,
Theresa Weaver
date Wed, Feb 3, 2010 at 10:18 AM
subject Route 82 split
mailed-by sacrt.com


2/3/10





Dear Mr. Hughes:

Please excuse my long delay in answering your email of 7/30/09, but with furlough days, numerous projects and hundreds of letters I trust that you understand. However

your comment about Route 82 was included in the information given to the RT Board of Directors. Because of letters, emails and public testimony such as yours, the RT Board voted to have minimal route and schedule cutbacks and instead raise the fares again.

The proposal to split Route 82 is internal to the RT Planning Department. I have no map to send you because there is none. If the split was to occur one portion would follow the existing route while the other would use either Whitney Avenue or Marconi Avenue to reach Walnut Avenue. No research or analysis has been done to determine which alignment would be better nor will anything be done until the upcoming round of massive service cuts and staff layoffs are completed and the budget balanced.

Our state funding was eliminated and our revenue from the county sales tax vastly reduced by the economic downturn. Cost reduction options including salary and hiring freezes, furlough days, benefit cuts, and other measures have already been enacted with more underway including RT staff layoffs. Some of these cost reductions are taking much longer to implement than would be desirable, but that is the nature of our complex society.

The ending of all state transit funding was illegal. RT, along with other transit providers, sued and won in the lower courts. Recently, the State Supreme Court refused to hear the States’ appeal. Now all that remains is for the state to find the additional money, something that is not likely to happen. Also the Federal Government ended the subsidy that RT had received for compressing natural gas.

Hopefully the future will be better with a major service expansion through the Transit Action Plan and a ballot initiative for a sales tax increase to pay for it. Information is available on our website.


Yours truly,


Mark Bennett, Planner

mbennett@sacrt.com

I don't know what the purpose of publishing this is. Better late than never, my mother would always tell me when I showed disappointment for this or that forgotten nicety. I suppose we can all celebrate together that Mr. Bennett has finally reached the month of July 2009 in his archeological dig through his email inbox. And he took the time to respond! Who could have expected that?

Sacramento Regional Transit's budget woes can all be laid at the feet of the worst governor Californians have ever mistakenly placed in office. Even a recession so massive that it brings to mind the Great Depression more than 80 years would not have had the impact on RT that this governor's budgets have had. And this governor is supposed to be the Great Green savior! Without transit, all of his green talk is hallow and meaningless.

Now, excuse me while I return to my 365 Days of Photography. It is so much less painful.

Moving On

When I stopped writing here, I promised several people I would alert them if I started writing somewhere else.

I've reactivated a dormant blog -- ipsosacto.blogspot.com -- and converted it from a blog about my blog watching at IpsoSacto.com into an old fashioned personal blog. You know, that type of blog that dominated before Twitter shrank the world of words to less than 140 characters.

I Tweet as IpsoSacto and blog as IpsoSacto.

Irony and hypocrisy

When I failed to write a blog post last week about Sacramento Regional Transit's decision to raid its workers' comp self-insurance pool in order to avoid service cuts in 2010, I knew the end of this blog had arrived.

Maybe so many things will happen with me and buses and trains that I'll have to rush back here and blog and blog and blog. But the reality is that I'm no longer "a suburban commuter [who] decides to give up the car and instead rely on Sacramento Regional Transit to get around."

When I was laid off a year ago, the daily commute disappeared too. For a few months I took the bus in the morning to get to Amtrak for a job in Oakland, but I had to rely on The Wife to take me home when I returned to town at night. Trying to rely on RT during non-peak hours was just too inconvenient. Then that job turned into part-time work I do from home and my bus riding stopped entirely.

Between June, when classes at American River College ended, and this month I've been without my "free" ride on the bus, which made me weigh the choice between a $6 daily pass or getting into the car and driving to get errands accomplished.

When I turned 18 I registered for the draft and applied for a conscientious objector deferment to avoid serving in the Vietnam War. I filled out forms and went around gathering witnesses who could testify to the sincerity of my beliefs. While I was waiting for the response from the draft board a friend told me about a job opening where he worked. Starting pay was twice the minimum wage. So I joined my friend on an assembly line in the San Fernando Valley, and each day I considered the irony of the conscientious objector earning his daily bread manufacturing the warhead for the M72 LAW anti-tank weapon. A year later, when my draft number came in so low I was certain to be drafted before the end of the year, I realized it wasn't irony but hypocrisy I was demonstrating at work. I dropped the conscientious objector claim and instead avoided the Army by enlisting in the Navy.

I'm reminded of that story each day as I drive around Sacramento. While I may oppose the war driving when a bus is available, I'm just not willing to give up the job the convenience.

Now that the new school year is about to start at American River College I have my "free" ride again. I'll take the bus when time isn't a factor. I can ride with The Wife, who continues to commute daily on the bus and light rail.

I just can't claim to be a conscientious objector transitarian.

Here's RT's press release: RT Avoids Service Reductions Proposed for January 2010 - Additional Internal Savings Cover $2.4 Million Budget Shortfall

Why free parking is just not affordable any more

Perhaps what I had to say had some influence. But the only thing going for my point is the desperate position the Sacramento Regional Transit District finds itself in.

My topic was the pilot program that will require a $1 fee to use the RT parking lots at the Watt/I-80, Watt West and Roseville Road light rail stations, the final lots on the Blue Line.

Letting anyone park for free is just not fair. Subsidizing commuters who drive to ride light rail wasn't fair in April, when the board failed to break a tie, killing a staff proposal to institute parking fees at all RT lots. And under the district's new "no transfer" fare system, free parking is now doubly unfair.

Here's what I tried to explain in my three minutes before the board Monday.

The new fair structure will work like this: A person who takes a bus to light rail, will pay $5 for a one-way trip. A person who drives to the RT lot and catches the same train, will pay just $2.50.

The roundtrip charge for the park-and-ride user is $5.

The roundtrip charge for the person who leaves a car at home and takes the bus is $10. Since a daily pass, which allows unlimited rides for a calendar day, is just $6, that's what the district expects to collect from those people who either choose not to drive or can't drive.

So RT will be paying people to drive to the lots in order to save a buck.

Most of Monday's meeting was taken up with a public hearing on proposed service reductions. Ten percent of the system was targeted, including elimination of train service after 9 p.m.

Nothing will be finalized until next month, when the staff will present the board with its interpretation of the direction it received Monday. And that meeting will likely turn into a bargaining session like last month, where board members will trade someone else's service in order to protect the service of a constituent.

Parking just can't be free when cuts as deep as have been proposed are on the table. Yes, charging for parking may move people into neighboring streets or into commercial parking lots to avoid the fee. But the district can't let scofflaws be the deciding factor here.

Do Don Nottoli and the other board members so adamant about not charging for parking appreciate the alternative? Is it possible for someone who doesn't ride transit, who already sees Sacramento's system as inadequate for their transportation needs, to appreciate why charging for parking at every lot must come first before any cuts in service?

I made my pitch to the board. The board unanimously ignored me.

Steve Cohn offered that the parking fee proposal might come back before the board. I think I'd buy a lottery ticket before I'd bet that this board can find a majority of votes needed to charge for parking. I'd certainly have more chance with the lottery.

From bad to worse: RT just can't get a break

What's Sacramento Regional Transit to do? There's just no good news. That at least is the conclusion to be drawn from the agenda package for Monday's board of director's meeting.

General Manger Mike Wiley tries to paint a rosy tint on his Key Performance Report to the board.

"Despite the economic challenges imposed by declining tax revenues and state budget cuts to public transit funding, the District's financial statistic report closing out fiscal year 2009 is positive ($6.6M*)," Wiley says.

Yes, but...

Take away the largess of the Obama administration and Congress' efforts to stimulate the economy -- $8 million more than RT had counted on in its budget -- and that $6.6 million evaporates. (Read the full Key Performance Report)

As it is, the preliminary year-end report for 2009 has the district less than $700,000 in the black.

The district management managed to save nearly $2.2 million by trimming expenses from the 2009 budget and the federal government tossed in nearly $7.5 million more than the budget anticipated, but that only slowed the hemorrhaging.

Despite rate hikes in January, fare revenues were down $4.25 million below the budgeted target. And then there was the $4.1 million loss of local sales tax revenue.

And now we learn that matters are getting worse.

The 2010 budget adopted last month was balanced in part with the promise that service would be cut in January enough to save another $1.1 million.

"Since the FY 2010 Operating Budget was adopted on June 22, 2009, economic conditions have worsened," RoseMary Covington, the assistant general manager for planning and transit system development, explains in an issue paper prepared for Monday's meeting.

"RT has been notified that the Sacramento Transportation Authority will reduce its FY 2010 sales tax based, Measure A, projection by 3%," Covington reports. "This will reduce expected RT revenue from this source by $932,000. In addition, SACOG staff has advised there will be a further reduction in RT's Local Transportation Fund (LTF) allocation of approximately $1.5 million, also due to the decline in expected sales tax revenue."

The district had hoped that recently adopted federal legislation allowing transit agencies to redirect 10 percent of their stimulus money to operating expenses would help, but that won't be enough.

"Current estimates indicate that in addition to the $1 million in January service cuts already factored into the FY 2010 Adopted Operating Budget, an additional $1.4 million must be found in order to re-balance the budget," Covington reports.

Covington anticipates that staff can back fill some of that $2.4 million shortfall with cost reductions, but at least $1.4 million in service reductions will still be necessary.

"Since January is half-way point of the fiscal year, in order to realize $1.4 million in savings, it is necessary to make service reductions amounting to $2.8 million on an annual basis," Covington explains.

For anyone who is unfamiliar with RT's efforts to cope with the economic downturn and the outright theft from the state, I suggest reading "Attachment 2" from Covington's report. "Sacramento Regional Transit District Actions To Meet State Budget Revenue Shortfalls" itemizes the more than 30 steps taken since 2008.

The question of which combination of route elimination, reduction and realignment will balance the budget will be the subject of discussion at Monday's meeting. Here's a link to the staff's preferred option.

"Based upon the public comments, further direction from the Board, and any changes to RT's funding situation, staff will return to the Board for final approval on August 24, 2009," Covington said.

Riding shotgun on the morning commute

I suppose these things happen when you have been married for nearly 20 years. Sometimes you just miss the meaning of what you hear.

The Wife walked up behind me while I was working in my office last night.

"Are you doing anything special tomorrow morning?" she asked.

I admit that I immediately considered this a trick question along the lines of "Does this dress make me look fat?" What sort of special activities can a guy who works from home claim?

I told her, No. Nothing special. Just the usual.

"I thought maybe you'd like to ride downtown with me tomorrow," she said. "You could walk down to Starbucks at 16th Street and hang out."

"Sure. Yes. Well, maybe. I guess so," I said. I really was trying to get some work done.

Later that evening the wife mentioned that someone (for those reading who are not married, that translate as "You need to") needed to fax some documents to the insurance company so we could be reimbursed for a scooter The Kid used when his leg was broken.

"OK," I said. "Why don't I ride the bus in the morning with you and then get off at Morse and Arden. I can walk across the street to the OfficeMax and fax the documents from there."

I was quite pleased with myself for combining two Honey-Do tasks in a single trip.

The almost explosive you-don't-really-love-me response to that suggestion was the first clue I had that perhaps I had been clueless to what had prompted The Wife's invitation to ride with her to work.

"I don't want you to go with me," she said, and stormed off.

Ever notice how words echo when you are in the doghouse? The effect is disconcerting. You are trying to sort out what you missed, and it gets all muddled.

Eventually I wheedled out of the wife the source of her disappointment.

Normally The Wife works in Rancho Cordova. I drive her to a bus stop about two miles from our house. From there she rides to the Starfire light rail station. She then takes the train to Mather and from there rides another bus to work. It's a ridiculously convoluted arrangement, but The Wife dislikes driving enough to accept the inconvenience.

But this week The Wife is working downtown, which makes it possible for her to ride the No. 82, which stops less than 100 yards from our front door. She can transfer at CSUS to the No. 30 and arrive across the street from her destination. It's a nearly perfect commute. Nearly.

Tuesday, The Wife had been on the No. 82 minding her own business, trying to read when a guy sat down in front of her and turned around and said, "Namaste."

The Wife was wearing a brightly colored dress and a beautiful scarf around her shoulders. The guy apparently confused her for someone from the Indian subcontinent.

He repeated "Namaste," obviously expecting this exotic creature to respond in kind, but The Wife, who is half Japanese and half European mutt, just smiled.

Failing to get satisfaction, the guy turned his attention to a pair of Muslim women across the aisle, trying out an Arabic greeting. He didn't have much better luck.

Then a guy who looked to be in his 20s took the seat across from The Wife. He sat sideways in the seat with his legs in the aisle and stared at her. She tried to ignore him. He didn't say anything. He just stared.

The Wife swears she will never wear that colorful dress to work again.

When The Wife got off the bus at CSUS, the guy got off too. The Wife went over to a bench to wait for the No. 30 and the guy followed. When the No. 30 arrived The Wife boarded and took a seat. The guy boarded and again sat across from her, facing the aisle, and stared.

The Wife was about to get up and go sit closer to the driver when the guy left the bus.

"Yes, buses are like that," I responded when the wife first told me of her adventure on the bus, recalling the guy who chases co-eds.

By the time later that night that The Wife asked that I ride to work with her today, I had completely forgotten about her day's commute.

The palm of my hand slapping my forehead when I realized my error made an appropriately empty sound.

So today the wife dressed in less colorful clothes, and I rode with her on the No. 82 and then the No. 30. She sat by the window and I sat on the aisle. Not a single annoying rider appeared during the entire trip.

When we arrived at her office I kissed her goodbye and walked on to the Starbucks at 16th and P streets. I had a coffee and yogurt, did some work and then went back to my "office."

They wife thinks she'll ride to work by herself tomorrow.

Wanted: Transit Operator Awards -- and cup holders -- and bag holders!!

Here's a guest post from the wife

I meant to write the other day, about the driver of the 73 bus that picked me up on the way to Mather Mills Station one late afternoon last week. It was about 5:45 pm, the next stop on Data Drive was a timed stop, and we waited a couple minutes.

It worked perfectly for the driver, who got up and calmly strode to the back of the bus. There was a woman who had been yapping loudly about something with her boyfriend and the f-words were flying. I think there were a couple other people on the bus.

The driver was a tall, older black gentleman with a touch of gray and a ton of dignity; lean and straight as an arrow, to borrow a cliche. Quietly, slowly, he asked the woman where her stop was. Startled yapping, impudent, belligerent yapping. The rest of us peered intently at whatever was at hand. The driver - soft-spoken, but as firm as, well, a minister - asked her again where she was getting off. He did not need to say any more. The woman's tone changed. She well knew that the driver could simply put her off the bus, and she backed down, half-apologetically. We continued on our way in quiet.

I could hear the couple mumble and the boyfriend ask if she wanted him to "take care of him." But the woman said no because she needed the ride; she needed to be able to ride the bus.

The rest of the ride was uneventful. I tried to give the driver my most sincerely grateful "Thank You" as I left the bus at Mather.

Bless this driver and nominate him for Driver of the Month or Sustained Career Excellence, or something! He was not just having a good day. This gentleman has control of his route and we riders feel much safer that way.

I am impressed with drivers everyday and I see a lot of regulars who have a great relationship with the bus drivers. Even though society is going through some very hard times, it's all the more reason to recognize and reward excellence in service and performance.

Please actively promote driver recognition. As with other government workers, transit employees serve the public and the public needs to appreciate the workers and services a little more.

Now, I admit it's a little harder to get up close and friendly with the train operators. But I notice that the people who use the ramp tend to be regulars and can get to know the drivers if they choose.

After that bus ride, I got on the Sac Valley Station Train and at the Butterfield stop, a woman's voice, the train operator's, boomed over the PA: "The young man who got off of car 2 and got on car 3 - put your shirt on."

Thank you, again, RT, for these conscientious employees who keep transit comfortable and safe, as much as they can.

Monday morning, the 82 was stopped in the left turn lane at the intersection of Watt and Whitney. I looked up from my book hearing the driver talking to someone through the open door. She was talking to the driver of the car in the next lane. I don't know how he got her attention, but he said he was on his way to the stop and she was early. She said, "No, I'm on time, but don't worry, I'll wait for you." He said he was told 7:33 and she said cheerfully, "Yes, it's 7:32 and I should be there right at 7:33, but don't worry, I'll wait for you."

We waited as the man drove through the parking lot of the strip mall, parked under a bit of shade, and hobbled onto the bus with a cane.

Our drivers will stop and wait if they see you waving or running. I am quite sure they do not do that in SF or NY.

Next thing - cup holders AND bag holders on the bus! Under every window, a cup holder with a hook on the bottom for one's purse, shopping bag, etc. Yes!

Next - have a drawing once a month for a free monthly pass! Everyone who buys a monthly enters their pass number on the RT site with name, address, etc., and once a month someone gets a free pass. Market this with the cup holder for the commuters. How about a year's pass for $950?

Next - I was on a bus where a 30-something man rested his foot on the seat across the isle. OK, call me prissy, but I do not like people resting their shoes and sandles on the upholstery. It's bad enough that you have to look carefully at the seats to ascertain whether a spot is new or old. I was disappointed that the driver did not ask the man to remove his foot from the seat. I know my gentleman driver in Rancho would.

RT-Key Performance -- Dismal

On Monday evening, General Manager Mike Wiley volunteered to skip his monthly Key Performance Report to make time for the crowds who wanted to rail against proposed fare hikes and service cuts. He was most likely happy to avoid the onerous task of delivering still another report about declining ridership and fare income falling short of expectations.

In May, the district experienced a double-digit decline in system ridership, the second month in a row of negative growth. And for the second month in a row, fare revenue was under budget, which has exacerbated the district's financial situation.

The report Wiley wrote but didn't deliver at the meeting attempts to put a smiley face on May's bad news by pointing out that systemwide ridership remains up 4.74 percent higher than last year. Conveniently ignored is the fact that in April that same statistic was 7.15 percent and in March it was 8.51 percent. At this rate, it won't take long for this statistic to go negative.

April's total ridership was down 3.62 percent. May's total ridership dropped a whopping 15.2 percent, with bus ridership falling 13.3 percent and rail ridership declining 17 percent.

"Last year's escalated fuel prices helped boost RT's ridership significantly and this year, the impact of a higher [un]employment rate and furloughs are finally impacting transit ridership," Wiley said in the report.

But that drop in ridership and the impact furloughs have had on state worker buying patterns has exacerbated the district's budget troubles. Fare recovery in May was below the district's goal by 2.1 percent.

"In the month of May," Wiley said, "RT's fare revenue was under budget by $755,000."

This follows April's fare recovery shortfall of $596,000.

Wiley continues to say the district could still meet or exceed the district's annual fare revenue goal. But that may be just wishful thinking.

Fare increases will arrive in September. But will they, like the fare hikes that took effect in January, fall short of raising the amount of money the staff predicts?

Before RT has a chance to answer that question, the staff will be back before the board in July to discuss service reductions that would take effect in January.

Yes, getting to skip that report was a thin silver lining to a dark and stormy night.

June 22 (May) Key Performance Report
June 8 (April) Key Performance Report
May 11 (March) Key Performance Report