Whether you use public transit or not, you are paying for it. Nearly all of it. That's the conclusion of a new analysis from commentator and former Houston mayoral candidate Bill King. Based on ridership and revenue data for Houston Metro, King found that the average fare cost per rider comes out to just over $15, while the average fare is just 64 cents, meaning Metro riders only pay about 4% of the cost of their rides. This comes on the heels of a recent King investigation that found Houston Metro's expensive new Rapid Transit system is running at 5% of projected ridership.
King tells KTRH that public transit use in Houston has actually plummeted in the last 25 years. "That's after we spent billions of dollars, and after the population of Houston has gone up by probably 15 percent or so," he says. "And yet, we're carrying 40 percent fewer riders since 1998."
The bottom line is if mass transit users are only picking up 4% of the costs, taxpayers are absorbing the rest, directly or through rebates and subsidies. At the same time, Houston is facing a potential fiscal crisis due to other budgetary needs. "We're spending a huge amount of money, and proposing to spend billions of dollars more on a mode of transportation that the public really doesn't seem very interested in riding," says King.
King cautions that he is not against public transit altogether. "There are some legitimate reasons to have a transit system...there are some people who can't afford an automobile, there are some people who can't physically drive, and we need to do something about that," he says. "But is spending billions of dollars on light rail and rapid transit really the right way to go about it?"
"Let me put it in perspective," King continues. "For 15 dollars a ride, we could pay for Uber to pick up every one of the Metro riders at their house, give door-to-door service to wherever they're going, and probably have money left over."
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