tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5862444008740250372.post9004799755717311209..comments2024-02-01T04:37:41.878-05:00Comments on Cap'n Transit Rides Again: We could have more private busesCap'n Transithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17057887736728828646noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5862444008740250372.post-49560661626447739452010-05-03T20:32:39.060-04:002010-05-03T20:32:39.060-04:00"They may be the only way to expand transit i..."They may be the only way to expand transit if the Legislature refuses to provide adequate funding."<br /><br />The legislature is broke. I expect a government shutdown by the 15th to preserve cash for public safety operations. The way that NYC commuter van law is written, jitney service must be prearranged. They have confined them to a box that is more difficult to operate in. Running buses under the same principles as a "special operation" is doable.<br /><br /><br />"Even in this economic downturn there is significant demand for transit in the New York area, and whether due to labor costs, government inflexibility or lack of funding it is clear that the public transit agencies are incapable of meeting that demand."<br /><br />All three, plus politics. Some agencies provide transportation strictly as a byproduct to their political operations.<br /><br /><br />"As I read the law (and I am not a lawyer), the Transportation Commissioner has to personally approve every city bus company, every bus route, and every bus stop."<br /><br />It's a bit more complicated than that. Buses from several Brooklyn communities operate as "special operations", where only the route's "members" can ride. I have set up my Apple Core program to run buses exactly like that. Since no new buses will be approved to run solely within NYC, "special operations" is the best that anyone gets.<br /><br /><br />"In the absence of full approval, most jitney companies are operating illegally. "<br /><br />Throw in the fact that both legal and illegal vans are harassed in Brooklyn and Queens. Since the legal guys get no protection, many who started legal decided to become illegal to save money.<br /><br /><br />"In practice, commuter vans operate outside their designated zones and pick up passengers on the street. Since they do not have designated stops outside these zones, and they are not allowed to duplicate public bus routes, they often simply stop wherever they are hailed. This arrangement seems to satisfy most of the customers and yield profits for the van operators, but it can block car traffic, which seems to be the main complaint of Comet."<br /><br />If the TLC would protect legal operators by getting rid of the illegal ones, profits would shoot to the moon. I'm sure that they would happily pay franchise fees to have that protection.<br /><br /><br />"Unfortunately, the current system also seems to make it difficult to expand to new markets. That's what will help us towards our goals. For that, the laws will have to be changed. That will require a coalition that would either include the TWU or be powerful enough to overcome it, and at least some TWU members have negative opinions of jitneys."<br /><br />The partial collapse of the MTA that you are now witnessing will fix this. In NYC, it is all politics. Upstate, they don't care where the vans run as long as they are inspected and insured.<br /><br /><br />BTW, this article is cross-linked on http://www.transittalent.com. This is an important issue that needs the eyeballs as another transit system is shutting down June 30.jazumahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00890764412679388559noreply@blogger.com