70% of WMATA bus riders don't pay

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bus is super cheap. I can understand not wanting to pay for metro subway though. I like to take my kids downtown during the week in the summer and I feel like I'm always charged a rush hour fare of $6.50 no matter when I go. $6.5x 3 people x roundtrip= $39 just for a short trip

If you drive from Rockville to downtown, it's about 45 miles round trip. At the IRS rate of 70 cents a mile, that's $31.50 for gas, wear and tear, etc. and you still probably need to pay for parking. It's fine if you prefer to drive but either way there's a cost.

It's roughly equal from your estimate. Shouldn't the public option be much cheaper due to economies of scale?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bus is super cheap. I can understand not wanting to pay for metro subway though. I like to take my kids downtown during the week in the summer and I feel like I'm always charged a rush hour fare of $6.50 no matter when I go. $6.5x 3 people x roundtrip= $39 just for a short trip

If you drive from Rockville to downtown, it's about 45 miles round trip. At the IRS rate of 70 cents a mile, that's $31.50 for gas, wear and tear, etc. and you still probably need to pay for parking. It's fine if you prefer to drive but either way there's a cost.

It's roughly equal from your estimate. Shouldn't the public option be much cheaper due to economies of scale?

The public option should always be cheaper. But it's not in DC. Which means the public will keep driving.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So? Drivers only pay about 20% of the cost of roads. Want to pay European prices for gas?

Nonsense. Drivers pay for roads in a thousand different ways -- the gas tax, registration fees, title fees, inspection fees, license fees, parking fees, traffic fines and of course income taxes, which are mostly paid by the rich and how many rich people do you know who don't have a car?

You had me at "traffic fines", lol. That's like saying criminals who get caught hopping the faregates are really paying for Metro when they pay their fines. Do you even listen to yourself??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bus is super cheap. I can understand not wanting to pay for metro subway though. I like to take my kids downtown during the week in the summer and I feel like I'm always charged a rush hour fare of $6.50 no matter when I go. $6.5x 3 people x roundtrip= $39 just for a short trip

$40 to take two kids on the subway is insane.

I'm glad you think that. I figured DCUM would say I was being cheap. We have to pay to park at the metro. I feel like $3 each way would be a normal amount.

My kids enjoy metro though and I decidedly DO NOT enjoy driving or parking downtown.

[Anonymous]

We don’t collect transit fares. We don’t collect speeding tickets. We house homeless people in market rate apartments in wealthy neighborhoods. And the Council is somehow shocked we are broke? Now CM Frumin wants to raise my taxes. I just can’t anymore with these people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So? Drivers only pay about 20% of the cost of roads. Want to pay European prices for gas?

Nonsense. Drivers pay for roads in a thousand different ways -- the gas tax, registration fees, title fees, inspection fees, license fees, parking fees, traffic fines and of course income taxes, which are mostly paid by the rich and how many rich people do you know who don't have a car?

You had me at "traffic fines", lol. That's like saying criminals who get caught hopping the faregates are really paying for Metro when they pay their fines. Do you even listen to yourself??

I dont understand which part of this is confusing to you (or why you sound like such a dick?). Politicians come up with lots of creative (and sneaky) ways to get the money they need. The city collects more than a quarter billion dollars in traffic camera tickets every year. Where do you think that money goes? The Department of Transportation itself says the money is used to pay for infrastructure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bus is super cheap. I can understand not wanting to pay for metro subway though. I like to take my kids downtown during the week in the summer and I feel like I'm always charged a rush hour fare of $6.50 no matter when I go. $6.5x 3 people x roundtrip= $39 just for a short trip

$40 to take two kids on the subway is insane.

I'm glad you think that. I figured DCUM would say I was being cheap. We have to pay to park at the metro. I feel like $3 each way would be a normal amount.

My kids enjoy metro though and I decidedly DO NOT enjoy driving or parking downtown.

I solve this problem by never going downtown. Too hard to drive, too hard to park. There's lots of other places to go that don't suck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So? Drivers only pay about 20% of the cost of roads. Want to pay European prices for gas?

Nonsense. Drivers pay for roads in a thousand different ways -- the gas tax, registration fees, title fees, inspection fees, license fees, parking fees, traffic fines and of course income taxes, which are mostly paid by the rich and how many rich people do you know who don't have a car?

You had me at "traffic fines", lol. That's like saying criminals who get caught hopping the faregates are really paying for Metro when they pay their fines. Do you even listen to yourself??

I dont understand which part of this is confusing to you (or why you sound like such a dick?). Politicians come up with lots of creative (and sneaky) ways to get the money they need. The city collects more than a quarter billion dollars in traffic camera tickets every year. Where do you think that money goes? The Department of Transportation itself says the money is used to pay for infrastructure.

Because you're either lying through your teeth or have no idea what's going on.

Fines are a penalty for breaking the law, not generous funding of the system. And those fines have not gone to improving infrastructure for years thanks to Muriel Bowser. Pay attention.

Most of the things you listed, like income tax, are things levied on people who don't drive, so counting that is either disingenuous or dumb.

Face it, your driving is subsidized. And if we want to talk about all the wars we fight over oil then the subsidy goes away up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So? Drivers only pay about 20% of the cost of roads. Want to pay European prices for gas?

Nonsense. Drivers pay for roads in a thousand different ways -- the gas tax, registration fees, title fees, inspection fees, license fees, parking fees, traffic fines and of course income taxes, which are mostly paid by the rich and how many rich people do you know who don't have a car?

You had me at "traffic fines", lol. That's like saying criminals who get caught hopping the faregates are really paying for Metro when they pay their fines. Do you even listen to yourself??

I dont understand which part of this is confusing to you (or why you sound like such a dick?). Politicians come up with lots of creative (and sneaky) ways to get the money they need. The city collects more than a quarter billion dollars in traffic camera tickets every year. Where do you think that money goes? The Department of Transportation itself says the money is used to pay for infrastructure.

Because you're either lying through your teeth or have no idea what's going on.

Fines are a penalty for breaking the law, not generous funding of the system. And those fines have not gone to improving infrastructure for years thanks to Muriel Bowser. Pay attention.

Most of the things you listed, like income tax, are things levied on people who don't drive, so counting that is either disingenuous or dumb.

Face it, your driving is subsidized. And if we want to talk about all the wars we fight over oil then the subsidy goes away up.

Your teachers failed you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So? Drivers only pay about 20% of the cost of roads. Want to pay European prices for gas?

Nonsense. Drivers pay for roads in a thousand different ways -- the gas tax, registration fees, title fees, inspection fees, license fees, parking fees, traffic fines and of course income taxes, which are mostly paid by the rich and how many rich people do you know who don't have a car?

You had me at "traffic fines", lol. That's like saying criminals who get caught hopping the faregates are really paying for Metro when they pay their fines. Do you even listen to yourself??

I dont understand which part of this is confusing to you (or why you sound like such a dick?). Politicians come up with lots of creative (and sneaky) ways to get the money they need. The city collects more than a quarter billion dollars in traffic camera tickets every year. Where do you think that money goes? The Department of Transportation itself says the money is used to pay for infrastructure.

Because you're either lying through your teeth or have no idea what's going on.

Fines are a penalty for breaking the law, not generous funding of the system. And those fines have not gone to improving infrastructure for years thanks to Muriel Bowser. Pay attention.

Most of the things you listed, like income tax, are things levied on people who don't drive, so counting that is either disingenuous or dumb.

Face it, your driving is subsidized. And if we want to talk about all the wars we fight over oil then the subsidy goes away up.

Do you even live here? DC spends an *incredible" amount of money on infrastructure. I bet there isn't another city in the Western Hemisphere that spends anywhere close to DC on a per capita basis. The city finances that in a million different ways, but one of them is issuing 3 million plus traffic tickets a year to a city with only a few hundred thousand cars. You can put whatever label on that you like, but it's taking money from drivers and spending it on roads. And 80 percent of income taxes are paid by the top 10 percent of earners. Do you think a 50 year old doctor working 70 hours a week doesn't drive to work?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bus is super cheap. I can understand not wanting to pay for metro subway though. I like to take my kids downtown during the week in the summer and I feel like I'm always charged a rush hour fare of $6.50 no matter when I go. $6.5x 3 people x roundtrip= $39 just for a short trip

$40 to take two kids on the subway is insane.

I'm glad you think that. I figured DCUM would say I was being cheap. We have to pay to park at the metro. I feel like $3 each way would be a normal amount.

My kids enjoy metro though and I decidedly DO NOT enjoy driving or parking downtown.

I solve this problem by never going downtown. Too hard to drive, too hard to park. There's lots of other places to go that don't suck.

We never metro into DC for dinner and drinks anymore. Parking was already awful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bus is super cheap. I can understand not wanting to pay for metro subway though. I like to take my kids downtown during the week in the summer and I feel like I'm always charged a rush hour fare of $6.50 no matter when I go. $6.5x 3 people x roundtrip= $39 just for a short trip

$40 to take two kids on the subway is insane.

I'm glad you think that. I figured DCUM would say I was being cheap. We have to pay to park at the metro. I feel like $3 each way would be a normal amount.

My kids enjoy metro though and I decidedly DO NOT enjoy driving or parking downtown.

I solve this problem by never going downtown. Too hard to drive, too hard to park. There's lots of other places to go that don't suck.

We never metro into DC for dinner and drinks anymore. Parking was already awful.

+1

Going downtown sucks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bus is super cheap. I can understand not wanting to pay for metro subway though. I like to take my kids downtown during the week in the summer and I feel like I'm always charged a rush hour fare of $6.50 no matter when I go. $6.5x 3 people x roundtrip= $39 just for a short trip

$40 to take two kids on the subway is insane.

But that is what it costs to take a couple of kids downtown. It is almost always cheaper to simply drive and pay for a garage.

DC needs to figure out what the priority is. To me, it's fewer drivers on the road and less pollution, so I'd prefer both to be free and/or inexpensive. For awhile, Tenley only had 2 hour parking, which made it impossible to even metro to Cleveland Park for dinner. Opening it to 4 hours means that I take the metro more often.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We don’t collect transit fares. We don’t collect speeding tickets. We house homeless people in market rate apartments in wealthy neighborhoods. And the Council is somehow shocked we are broke? Now CM Frumin wants to raise my taxes. I just can’t anymore with these people.

Glad you are finally seeing the light.

These issues (among many others) are why I fled to Virginia years ago. D.C.’s government is horrendously corrupt and/or incompetent, and shows little evidence of improving during our lifetimes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So? Drivers only pay about 20% of the cost of roads. Want to pay European prices for gas?

Nonsense. Drivers pay for roads in a thousand different ways -- the gas tax, registration fees, title fees, inspection fees, license fees, parking fees, traffic fines and of course income taxes, which are mostly paid by the rich and how many rich people do you know who don't have a car?

You had me at "traffic fines", lol. That's like saying criminals who get caught hopping the faregates are really paying for Metro when they pay their fines. Do you even listen to yourself??

I dont understand which part of this is confusing to you (or why you sound like such a dick?). Politicians come up with lots of creative (and sneaky) ways to get the money they need. The city collects more than a quarter billion dollars in traffic camera tickets every year. Where do you think that money goes? The Department of Transportation itself says the money is used to pay for infrastructure.

Because you're either lying through your teeth or have no idea what's going on.

Fines are a penalty for breaking the law, not generous funding of the system. And those fines have not gone to improving infrastructure for years thanks to Muriel Bowser. Pay attention.

Most of the things you listed, like income tax, are things levied on people who don't drive, so counting that is either disingenuous or dumb.

Face it, your driving is subsidized. And if we want to talk about all the wars we fight over oil then the subsidy goes away up.

Your teachers failed you.

This is a great response for when you're wrong but pathologically incapable of admitting it.