Denver, CO – The Regional Transportation District (RTD) is receiving $232 million from the CARES Act, while ridership is down to only 30% due to the COVID-19 crisis.
$232 million is a huge sum to throw at a floundering service that cannot pay for itself when it is over 100% ridership. How does this make any sense?
Yes, we want drivers and other “essential” RTD personnel to remain as safe as possible. We want them to have personal protective equipment, including masks. That said, will they not be safer at home like many others who are now on mandatory house arrest due to Governor Jared Polis’ orders?
The kicker
Here is the kicker. The Amalgamated Transit Union is making demands that RTD reportedly cannot accommodate.
The ATU is requesting that RTD use its portion of the $25 billion awarded to transit systems nationwide to institute rear-door entry and suspend fare collection, as well as provide gloves and masks to bus operators. RTD Director Shontel Lewis, District B, echoed the union’s position and created an online petition asking Gov. Jared Polis to mandate that RTD change its protocols.
From: Colorado Politics
If RTD cannot comply with the demands by April 13, 2020, RTD service will shut down.
What’s more, a reduction in service is already planned from April 19, 2020, until September 20, 2020. This all follows other reductions in service due to RTD failing to bring in enough money to meet operating costs.
At some point, we have to consider that RTD is a failing service, and this is only exacerbated by the COVID-19 crisis. Obviously, people do not want to take public transit with a highly infectious virus floating around (we’re not sure most people want to use it at all).
Pumping more tax dollars into RTD that could go to citizens and failing businesses due to Polis’ “Stay at Home” order is hardly a solution.
If trains and busses are nearly empty, let them shut down. Use the money to benefit the businesses and people who are and will be out of work.
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How do you spell “stimulus”?
Ans. S-O-C-I-A-L-I-S-M
Thomas Massie today on The Liberty Report: The actual cost of only this round of incentives packages all told equates to $60k per individual US citizen, and it’s not over yet.
Can you guess who’s getting the benefit of all that money?
We got universal income all right. For special interests and corporations.
Is life so sweet. Is peace so dear. I known not what my bretheren believe. But for me…