Re: Problems on the Shoreline
Author: $55 per rider subsidy
Date: 06-01-2022 - 13:57
Given the high fixed costs of running the line, that’s boosted the per-passenger-per-trip subsidy to $55.28 (compared to $3.85 on the MNRR main line).
Fares on Shore Line East have always been kept low to try to attract riders. But that means those fares cover only 5% of operating costs (compared to 69% on MNRR mainline). Who pays the difference? We do, in our gasoline taxes which go into the Special Transportation Fund (STF).
But with the gasoline tax taking a pre-election holiday, that’s pushing the STF ever-closer to insolvency. This is clearly unsustainable.