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January 14, 2005
Panel Recommends 1/2 Cent Sales Tax for Washington Region Transit A panel of experts convened by the Metropolitan Washington (D.C.) Council of Governments released a report on January 6 recommending the establishment of a 1/2 cent sales tax within the WMATA service area to be dedicated to transit. This covers Montgomery and Prince George's counties in Maryland. On January 12 the COG board accepted the findings and urged the Governors of Maryland and Virginia and the Mayor of the District of Columbia to work together to respond to this issue. The panel made this recommendation after concluding that the region derives substantial benefit from WMATA services, particularly the federal government whose workers make up a large share of Metro riders. The panel was convened to consider a report issued last year by the Brookings Institution that said WMATA is the largest transit agency in the country without a dedicated source of revenue, and this was responsible for the agency's continuing budget deficits. The panel also called for substantially greater financial participation from the federal government given the benefit it derives from Metro. To download the panel's report, click here.
North End of Light Rail Closed for Construction Earlier this month MTA shifted work on the project to double track nine additional miles of the Light Rail line to areas north of downtown. Using the construction staging approach developed for the southern segments, the line will be completely shut down until this fall. A shuttle bus operation has replaced the service during the shutdown, but several stations in the Jones Falls Valley are not accessible to buses and have no service. The $154 million project is due to be completed in 2006. Having the majority of the line double tracked will make scheduling, dispatching and maintenance easier for MTA, and should improve the overall reliability of the service. Double tracking also allows train frequencies to be increased, but MTA has no plans to do so at this time. Click here for more information.
Annual MTA Rider Satisfaction Rating Drops 19% in 2003 MTA's annual customer satisfaction survey conducted in 2003 and reported in 2004 shows a dramatic decrease in satisfaction compared to the prior year. Satisfaction is derived from a variety of measures including safety, value, convenience, reliability, and comfort. The study concludes this is primarily due to declines in the perception of safety due to international events and value due to a 2003 fare increase. However, the results show declines in nearly every category for all of the agency's services. To obtain information MTA surveys riders on board vehicles as well as solicits input through the web site. The survey also provides information about rider demographics. The average MTA rider is a 40-year old woman earning $39,000 a year, although this varies widely among agency's services. The average income of a bus rider is $28,000; for a MARC rider the average is $58,000.
Collegetown Network Extends Shuttle to Downtown The Baltimore Collegetown Network has announced it will extend its shuttle bus service for students to the Inner Harbor on Friday and Saturday nights starting in February. BCN buses currently serve five of the colleges that make up the network and carry more than 60,000 riders each academic year. The new shuttle route will stop at Penn Station and connect directly with a bus that now operates to the Harbor area from UMBC. BCN is a consortium of 15 colleges and universities that works to attract students to the Baltimore region, enhance their college experience, and retain them in the area after graduation. For more information on BCN, click here.
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