Monday, November 16, 2009
Chicagoland Counting My Blessings
Posted by Whet Moser on Mon, Nov 16, 2009 at 3:40 PM
Owing to what I understand is a tacit agreement with authorities here, there is a fleet of 1970s Toyota minibuses that ply the main thoroughfares here. They don’t actually stop: You have to leap aboard and leap off, but the price is right: About 50 cents. As long as the drivers can keep them running, it seems, authorities let them do their thing.
Yes, the CTA is expensive to run. Here's a wealthy country where public transportation is cheap. Not letting the buses stop would definitely cut down on the free senior fares.
Comments (2)
Showing 1-2 of 2
I might turn this into a post of my own, but just for comparison's sake... Chicago comes first, then Paris.
Rail lines: 8, 16 (including one totally automatic line)
Rail length: 170.8 km, 169 km (214 including suburbs)
Rail traffic: 3.6m/yr at best (off 660k/weekday), 1.4b/yr
Should I stop there?
The bus counting gets complicated, since the Parisian system has an entire fleet that only comes on at 1am (the Noctilien). Needless to say, buses cover some 560km within Paris, which is a lot, when you consider how small Paris proper is.
So, finally, cost: $2.25, $2.40
If you consider cost of living (IL min wage: $8, French: ~$13.25), the Parisian system, which handles way more traffic for more lines for more kilometers manages to charge less. I don't know if they're massively subsidized by the gov't or what, but there you have it.
I've heard good things about the NYC system by ex-Chicagoans, and I imagine I'm in a similar boat. The CTA just can't compete--except in terms of how easy it is to find a seat.
like
dislike
What I mean is, what scales here? Is the immensely larger daily ridership make possible more traffic (in terms of shorter waits for trains) and cheaper fares? Or is the immense ridership a response to a wellthoughtout system that covers most of the city pretty darned well?
(Buses, for what it's worth, run every couple of minutes also, and they're always fullish.)
Latest in Bleader
-
Do newspapers think we can't see who's missing?
When editors disappear, readers notice they're gone
- Feb 8, 2012
-
Soul music: not just dusties
During Soul Week, let's remember that soul music is still alive and well
- Feb 8, 2012
-
Tonight: CSO, Muti, and Mason Bates
Chicago Symphony Orchestra performs Alternative Energy by Mason Bates
- Feb 7, 2012
- More »
