Comments on: Rochester New York Lowers Bus Fares, Is a Striking Contrast to Transit Policy in Southeastern Wisconsin

By: Jason Haas

Jason Haas — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 07:09:20 +0000

Do you often find yourself talking to bus drivers, or politicians?

By: Smitty

Smitty — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 00:33:07 +0000

Part of the reason Milwaukee bus service continues to languish is the high crime rate on the buses. Until bus safety is improved, people are going to do everything possible to avoid riding the bus. Scott Walker and “right wing talk radio” won’t kill bus service in Milwaukee County—the criminals will.

This Journal article gives a hint at the problem:

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=794919

Privately, bus dirvers will tell you the crime rate, the physical assaults and the verbal abuse are much higher than the politicians will admit.

By: capper

capper — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 03:06:10 +0000

Sean,

The current system is a public entity operated by a private company. That cuts into the service because you’re adding a whole new layer of administration, with the exception that the new layer is only interested in profit margins.

By: Sean

Sean — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 17:46:30 +0000

I am going to speak only to the bus situation and not mass transit as a whole; I’ve said, for a long time, that city, county and state government should work hand in hand, on many issues, with private business. As I read this article I saw that the Rochester Transit Authority worked with colleges, local developers/land owners, and the like to help subsidize the bus routes. That along with a big chuck of help from the state, and “eliminating some low-trafficked routes” (which Milwaukee has done, and been chastised for it), Rochester has been able to obtain a surplus. I laud those relationships, and if companies like NML, Harley, and others would like to do that, I am all in favor! If, through proper analysis and bidding processes, MPS and other outlying public and private HS’s and colleges, determine that helping pay for Milwaukee transit is cheaper, and more effective for them, again I am all in favor!

Problem is Milwaukee, historically, doesn’t like mixing private business with government business (why I don’t know), so we will continue to have the debate, because the only way for Milwaukee to lower rates is to increase taxes somewhere, somehow, and that’s just not acceptable.