Oakland Airport Extention - an EXtra 6 bucks to rid, what a joke
"BART contends it can do better. For years, BART has planned the rail link that planners say would offer more seamless, convenient, and slightly faster service. Rapid transit passengers would walk across the Coliseum station platform, pay an extra $6 fare, and then board the automated tram zipping to a new station at the airport."
From Contra Costa times
http://www.contracostatimes.com/news/ci_12274763?source=rss
I don't know anyone who would pay and extra 6 bucks to get off of the Oakland Coliseum station and pay another 6 bucks to take another BART train 3.2 miles. What a joke. The current $3 bus sounds like the least expensive option.
Going to Pittsburg Baypoint to SFO currently costs $8. If you were to go to the Coliseum and pay the additional $6 fare that would bring your total to $10.35
I think people will opt out of flying in and out of OAK if this happens.
BART needs to spend their money wisely not just jump to projects because they are getting Federal Aid.
They have got to be kidding.
They have got to be kidding. $6 for a 5 minute ride?!?!?! No way!
The AirTrain JFK charges
The AirTrain JFK charges $5.00. The AirTrain Newark charges $5.50. $6 is right around the ballpark. If you're looking to save money, AC Transit #50 operates every 15-30 minutes from Coliseum BART and is just $1.50 with BART transfer.
so it looks like JFK and
so it looks like JFK and Newark are overpaying too. Just because others are paying to much doesn't make it reasonable.
When there is virtually no
When there is virtually no transit subsidy, then yes you will "overpay." All of the examples others have given of free shuttles are all subsidized. But Sacramento has all but eliminated transit operating subsidies. The Feds have historically not subsidized operating expenses (except in rural areas)- they have maintained that their responsibility falls only on the capital side.
Maybe OAK can charge a $1 fee on all ticketed passengers to bring down the AirBART fare.
BWI OTOH has a FREE shuttle
BWI OTOH has a FREE shuttle to Amtrak/MARC trains and the Balto Light Rail is a few steps out of the terminal building. It is called user attracting design. Oakland has always been the also ran airport here; what is it they don't get about convenience matters?
I really don't think people
I really don't think people are going to switch airports over a $2 difference each way. Besides, getting to SFO Station is going to be much more expensive in the future, as BART is planning on adding another surcharge to the SFO extension (a couple of dollars each way, I believe). Most airport metro/subway connectors have large surcharges in order to make their capitol funds back - this is not unique to the Bay Area, as was pointed out earlier. Mostly because they were built as separate systems from the main metro line, and are sometimes privately built & operated - the Oakland connector was supposed to a privately run line, but they backed out recently). Light rail systems generally do not have this surcharge (Portland, Baltimore, Minneapolis, St. Louis). Getting to the airport is always expensive, but even with the surcharges, it still beats driving, parking, and schlepping onto the parking shuttle bus.
What ever the market will
What ever the market will bear.. If it is to much, people won't ride it. In business you charge what people are willing to pay, to little you don't make much profit (well transit never actually profits), to much people won't ride.
I have heard the surcharge to SFO will go up to about the same.. And record ridership, so it must be in balance.
When you are BART and people have multiple options to get from A-B you see how much you can charge before driving off customers, in some cases, you want to drive some off to make room in a train for a more pleasureable ride.
Boston's Logan Airport has a
Boston's Logan Airport has a free shuttle bus that takes you from the "T" (the region's subway/rail system) to all the terminals at the airport for the price of your rail ticket. They recently added the "Silver Line," a bus connector from the main rail lines that goes to a central terminal at the airport. That, too, is included in the price of your "T" ticket. It runs in a designated lane and though it must cross a bridge susceptible to traffic jams, it's worked flawlessly for me so far. $550 mil for a two mile run in a time of budget crunches and proposed fare increases sounds extravagant to me.
The Blue Line shuttle works
The Blue Line shuttle works great. But that's because the travel time is pretty consistent within the airport loop. AirBART runs through mixed flow traffic along Hegenberger. My concern is that BRT will still hit traffic during an A's game, Warriors game, or Raiders game.
Unless it has a dedicated
Unless it has a dedicated lane or right of way -- which is what I've been in favor of forever. Pave a dedicated, walled off lane (or overhead lane) for the bus.
Just saw this on Tri-City
Just saw this on Tri-City Beat (CC Times)blog by Matt Artz:
Union opposes BART to Oakland Airport extension
By Matt Artz
Thursday, May 7th, 2009 at 10:50 am in Uncategorized.
Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1555, representing the 900 front line workers for the Bay Area Transit system (BART), supports any development in Bay Area transit that improves service, increases safety, lowers cost for riders and saves money for the BART system. The proposed Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line to the Oakland Airport appears to do just that.
BART’s proposed Oakland Airport Connector will do just the oppositie: it will go just three miles, have no intervening stops and cost BART riders at least $12 roundtrip on top of the price of their BART ticket. The original cost of this project was estimated at $130 million. It has now skyrocketed to the current estimate of $538 million. Who knows where it will stop?
We don’t think this is the way to go. At a time when BART is considering fare increases and service cuts to the existing system, it is fiscally irresponsible to commit to a half-billion-dollar projectd to save two minutes. According to TransForm, the Bus Rapid Transit line could be put in place for as little as $40 million and cost riders nothing. We believe this is a critical contribution towards the long-term sustainability of BART’s finances.
Of coarse they get federal
Of coarse they get federal money for extensions. BART miss-management then shelves the fed dollars and "BILLS" the unions for the rest every contract negotiation.A long and time tested process that every four year's down the road they hope the mostly ignorant public will forget.And they do!.