10,810 PPS high school students
Retail TriMet Youth pass is $27/mo
PPS students are in school 40 weeks per year
10,810 * $27 * 12 * 40/52 = $2,694,184/year
Why is PPS paying full retail price? Employers under the Universal Pass program do not pay the full price -- they pay based on ESTIMATED USAGE. Why is the formula different for PPS?
My hunch --
In the past they probably scratched their heads and said "hey TriMet, if we can get BETC to get you some dough, then let's do it." But now that BETC is gone, Sam is not willing to fudge the numbers to TriMet's benefit. Even Mary F. herself said that the youth pass program only costs TriMet "a couple hundred thousand" dollars for extra buses.
10,810 PPS high school students
ReplyDeleteRetail TriMet Youth pass is $27/mo
PPS students are in school 40 weeks per year
So, you're saying that those passes are not valid on non-school days, for non-school trips?
We all know they are used on the weekends (for purposes OTHER than to/from school), on evenings (for purposes OTHER than to/from school), and during school breaks such as summer, winter and spring break and on holidays.
So to claim that they should only have to pay 40 weeks...do I get a "free ride" period of 12 weeks (or three months)? Do I get a three month break on my pass - buy nine months get three for free?
Sounds like a Sleep Country USA commercial... "Why pay your bus fare, anywhere else?"
Nice to see you make a post MAX!
ReplyDeleteWhere they hell have you been anyway?
Haven't seen ya in forever.
Erik, again you're presenting "facts" that are simply false --
ReplyDelete1) YouthPass is not valid during the summer time.
2) Yes, kids do use the YouthPass for non-school related trips -- but so do people who have employer provided U-passes; so that's not a valid argument as to why the cost of YouthPass should be calculated based on full retail price, while U-pass is not.
3) I never made any claim that they "should only have to pay 40 weeks."
4) If you're paying for your pass, then it likely means that your employer is not participating in the U-pass program. U-pass is for employers who give TriMet passes to all employees. Your employer is more likely participating in the monthly pass program.
Max mentioned "weeks", which would include weekends (and evenings).
ReplyDeleteand during school breaks such as summer
FALSE. The school passes do indeed expire in June, with new ones not available until next school year. (Unless your maybe talking about students taking summer school.)
Also, just in case you can understand, Portland students get the passes because, unlike ones in Tigard and elsewhere, they do not get yellow school buses.
And overall, the issue is that, if the buses are already running, the marginal cost to transport additional riders is very low BUT if everyone used that argument to avoid paying fare, there wouldn't be any money to run the buses. Or in other words, is it fair to forgo revenue from them and not others?
Oh, and while Erik isn't exactly totally honest about it, he does have an annual sticker, as his employer provides a 100% subsidy.