Here's the way for TriMet to save big bucks

By Mikel Kelly

The Regal Courier, Jun 24, 2010

ADVERTISEMENTS

There have been stories in most of our papers the past couple of weeks about how TriMet is having to make last-minute cuts to fill a $27 million gap in its budget for next year.

You realize, of course, that in order to have a "gap" of $27 million, that means your budget is pretty gigantic. This proposed budget totals $857.58 million - roughly the amount it would take to operate a small country in some parts of the world.

To close that gap, the TriMet board of directors - which, by the way, now includes my boss, Steve Clark (who was once described by a mutual friend as playing basketball with "a rat-like determination") - has approved a number of changes to save money.

One of those is a 5-cent increase in fares, which takes effect Sept. 1. Also, in areas all around the Portland area, TriMet will discontinue low-ridership lines or reduce the frequency of service on other lines, effective Sept. 5. According to people with much bigger brains than mine, TriMet has seen its revenues reduced by (A) the recession and (B) lower-than-expected payroll taxes, and it also has been reported that "the transit agency is cutting administrative salaries by 5 percent and imposing a salary and hiring freeze to reduce service cuts to around $8 million."

I think we need to do a little more outside-the-box thinking here, though - which is what I've been doing - and I have a dramatic proposal for TriMet:

Get rid of all those high-priced union bus drivers, and pattern the TriMet system after the bicycle sharing system they have in Paris. You know, just leave buses parked around the metro area, and as soon as a bunch of people show up, wanting to go someplace (and somebody has enough nerve to get behind that big old steering wheel), then fire that baby up and get 'er going.

Now, there probably should be some ground rules. For example, the No. 12 bus that runs up and down Barbur connecting downtown Portland with Sherwood (and the 94 express bus that runs the same route) should stay on that route. No fair wandering off to Bull Mountain or Garden Home, just because you happen to live there.

So, folks who feel motivated to do the driving need to understand that and agree.

Not only would this save several ka-jillion dollars in employee costs (although current bus drivers should feel welcome to continue driving for tips, if they really, really like doing it), there would be a number of other benefits.

And the No. 1 benefit would be that you're almost guaranteed to be greeted by a friendly person when you get on the bus. You wouldn't experience the psychological kick in the face that greets riders on the No. 17 downtown by the guy who hates people so much he not only doesn't talk to passengers, he turns his back on them with a hoody over his head and ignores everyone.

1 | 2 Next Page >>