Transit shortfalls from the plague
Public transit commissions in the urban agglom are coming up $165 million short so far in the pandemic, with drops from 80% to 90% in ridership, so they’re looking toward Quebec for a hand.
The Journal shows us how STM bus drivers will be protected with plexi panels. These have been proposed in the pre-COVID past to keep drivers safer – there are yahoos who’ll spit on drivers, and worse – but I wonder at the same time, will some drivers suffer from a feeling of isolation? I’ve taken the bus a handful of times since the lockdown, and it feels colder not to say hello and thank you to the driver. But we’re going into a socially colder time generally.
Chris 11:01 on 2020-05-13 Permalink
This sucks for climate change if it continues. Many people are already disproportionately afraid of covid, I’d wager the drop in public transit usage will not be only short term. Likewise car pooling. Car sales will increase. Transit funding will fall. Consequently, pollution and congestion will increase. A vicious cycle.
Bert 11:06 on 2020-05-13 Permalink
Increased car sales will contribute to transit funding, though the special levies on licenses, registration and fuel. It will also help government coffers as each car sale, new or used, is taxed.
All this will reduced ridership, which means more having to provide less service, plan for less capacity, employ less people, etc.
Joey 12:49 on 2020-05-13 Permalink
@Bert if ridership is down beyond the short-term crisis period, governments will decrease funding over and above whatever “gains” are made from automatic revenue generated by increased car sales. This being said, I wonder how much of the current work-from-home situation will become permanently. I would imagine that hardly anyone still working who’s not in an office misses their commute, whether they get on the metro at Mt-Royal at 8:30 am or have a self-driving Tesla…
Michael Black 13:00 on 2020-05-13 Permalink
Employment is like an iceberg, we can talk about working from home but many jobs can’t be done remotely. And many of those are lower paying. So now’s not the time to measure public transit in terms of the environment, but as a necessity to some. The collective mind dismisses those who don’t fit in, but it’s a very different view from those outside.
Chris 13:37 on 2020-05-13 Permalink
>So now’s not the time to measure public transit in terms of the environment, but as a necessity to some.
Those aren’t mutually exclusive at all.
GC 19:32 on 2020-05-13 Permalink
Joey, I think some of us with a relatively short commute–myself included–do miss it because it gives a psychological separation between work and home. However, I can’t imagine anyone with a really long one misses it the time drain or inconvenience.
For sure there will be some people who will just keep working from home, even when it’s not necessary, just because they realize it suits them and their employer doesn’t mind. I wonder if it will be that significant a number, however.
I also wonder if there will be a lot of people changing jobs by choice once things settle down. Major events like this tend to shift people’s perspectives on things.