50YearResident (Anonymous) says…

Car owners are forced to payer higher gas prices to operate their cars so it is not time for “T” riders to step up and pay higher fees to ride the bus also. Make an immediate ticket price increase to $3 or $4 and see if it will make the “T” get close to a break even service.

Orwell (Anonymous) says…

No municipal transportation system anywhere has ever been expected to “break even.” We all knew that when the “T” was created. Yes, the city's fuel costs are way up, but maybe we should wait to see what effect that has on ridership as individuals also affected by those costs look for alternatives to taking their cars everywhere.

Alternatively, why don't we also try to make every city service pay its own way through user fees? The fire department has never come to my house, and almost every time I go by a fire station the engines are just sitting there, but I have to pay taxes for them anyway.

gccs14r (Anonymous) says…

Quit giving millions away to developers who don't need it and there will be plenty of funding left for the T.

KsTwister (Anonymous) says…

A small fleet of mini-vans would make more logic but then again this is Lawrence, Kansas.

kubacker (Anonymous) says…

The city that advertises itself as an island of enlightenment and social awareness in a sea of backward hicks is dumping the public transportation system in place for at least 60 years now, because the KC/Topeka bedroom communiity west of Kasold don't need it, while the people east of Kasold and senior citizens all over town, who need bus service, watch their tax money handed over to fat cat developers via tax abatements, tax rebates, loan guarantees and millions of dollars worth of city built and maintained infrastructure west of Kasold.

jumpin_catfish (Anonymous) says…

I agree with the minivan idea. Has it been evaluated by the city? Does it have to be all or nothing?

merrill (Anonymous) says…

According to a vocal minority definition of “empty” there must be thousands of tax dollar supported empT cars on the streets 16 hours a day. And way more streets are required to meet the demands of empT cars than is required to meet the demand of bus routes.

There is a vocal minority who did not want that tax dollar bus system no matter what. They don't like libraries either. But they like tax supported housing projects even though residential homes do not generate enough revenue to cover the cost to the city they generate. Or they like this rush to build warehouse projects for no tenants and will cost enough for new infrastructure to support the bus for 20 years.

b3 (Anonymous) says…

Eliminate the emp'T'y.

KUDB99 (Anonymous) says…

Let us not be short sighted, folks….

It's going to be more expensive now, but gas prices are only going to be getting more expensive, not less expensive. It's time to plan for a future that is not tied directly to our gas guzzling SUV's and energy consuming lifestyles. What Lawrence ought to do is invest more in mass-transit, not less….we should be looking at a commuter rail system to link Topeka, Lawrence, and KC. The infrastructure is already there. Imagine riding the bus to the train depot, hopping on the train and heading to Topeka or KC, instead of having to pay turnpike tolls and $5 gas prices. What a concept!!

kansassportsnutgal (Anonymous) says…

Get over it people!!! The T is not worth all the money that is being paid out! WHY are we paying the same company for the KU transportation ??? why? why? why???

I have to agree with Merrill.

just_another_bozo_on_this_bus (Anonymous) says…

20 cents a day— that's all it would take per resident to fund the T so that it works for most people most of the time, maybe less if merged with the KU system.

snap_pop_no_crackle (Anonymous) says…

Keep plugging that stinking pit of a 'forum', cool, because goodness knows, people need to see all your LJW posts repeated on another website.

bastet (Anonymous) says…

I'm not a regular T rider, but it has saved me on a few occasions when I needed transportation. This is a needed city service. Figure out a way to make it work. In a few years, we'll be clamboring for it because we can't afford the gas prices. I don't want to pay more taxes any more than anyone else, but how can we possibly call this a forward-looking community if we bail on a public transit system after only six or seven years. Foolish.

hipgal (Anonymous) says…

20 cents a day equals $73/year per resident to fund the T. I am a resident who never uses it and would rather NOT have to pay for it since there is no benefit to me. The KU bus and the T sometimes travel the same route and I wonder to myself, 'why in the heck don't they merge to benefit more people'?

You know, if there was a transit system that could connect people to jobs in Eudora, De Soto, & KC, then I'd be more than happy to shell out the extra money. I've tried to find a carpool person, but have had no luck.

kansassportsnutgal (Anonymous) says…

just_another_bozo_on_this_bus – Why should we have to pay for something the Majority don't even use? It is costing the city so much money to run as well as it is also very bad on the Environment!! Have you ever had to drive behind a T-bus? OMG! It's horrible!

I have to agree with hipgal and many others…. The T-bus is a total bust for our community!

just_another_bozo_on_this_bus (Anonymous) says…

“20 cents a day equals $73/year per resident to fund the T.”

Yep, and it'd make for a much better functioning city, and for those who prefer or need to drive, less congestion on the streets.

“T. I am a resident who never uses it and would rather NOT have to pay for it since there is no benefit to me.”

Just because you can't see it, doesn't mean it doesn't exist. That's true of most public services.

KUDB99 (Anonymous) says…

seems to me that better coordination of this would be in order, as well as better integration with KU on wheels…..

It's worth $73/year to me to eliminate that many more cars on 23rd St. and Iowa St. Integrating the T with the K10 bus and the Jo and MAXX in KC would benefit everyone. If there was a bus service that terminated not just in Joco but downtown KC, I'd take it everyday.

malcolm_x_obama (Anonymous) says…

Public transportation: bring back hitchhiking. If you need a ride stick out your thumb. If you're not comfortable doing that then call a friend. Call a taxi. Call an ambulance. But don't make us pay for a big wasteful Turd we don't want. Make golf carts legal on the streets and slow traffic down to 25 Kmph.

What is the acceptable loss for hitch-hiking? 10 or 20 people per year?

one2no (Anonymous) says…

So how's about we don't build anymore round-a-bout's and the next time someone wants to build something like a Wal-Mart we don't waste money trying to stop it.Lawrence has great public transit and wonderful fire protection but the both have to fight to get around those damn round-a-bout's.The fact that Wal-Mart has more money than the City of Lawrence on any give day should have been light in the eye to not move forward with a meaningless Law suit.I don't think Lawrence has money to fix the poor streets.

notajayhawk (Anonymous) says…

just_another_bozo_on_this_bus (Anonymous) says…

“Yep, and it'd make for a much better functioning city, and for those who prefer or need to drive, less congestion on the streets.”

The sad thought patterns that pass for 'logic' to a clown.

The congestion of which you speak is there precisely because those who prefer or need to drive are *doing* so. Yes, even with the rising price of gas, there's still not enough interest in the bus system to make it viable. Imagine that.

just_another_bozo_on_this_bus (Anonymous) says…

Yes, we know that those with antisocial tendencies will never ride the bus, notajayhawk, and we'll be glad you don't. But for others who are emotionally stabile enough to do so without adult supervision, having a viable option in addition to cars, biking or walking will be quite welcome, and will see greatly expanded use as fuel prices go through the roof.

But if you ever get your license revoked for your road-rage tantrums (you have endless tantrums here, so why wouldn't you while driving,) maybe even you will ride the bus.

kansassportsnutgal (Anonymous) says…

It's not worth the money it cost for only One percent of the population ! If they would want to keep a few vans and take appts and charge a little more… maybe it would be worth it! But everytime I drive by a T-bus there is Never and I mean Never anyone on them! So Why are we spending the money?? It is very wasteful !!!

Hopefully we will get to vote on it and find out then how many really want to waste money on a bus that no one rides!

misterlee (Anonymous) says…

We can save a lot of money if we eliminate all city services. I haven't been to the library in years, and I never use the parks downtown. They could be paved over for more parking. Garbage fees pay only a portion of the actual costs of this service. Let's raise them!

I have never ridden the T, but it's part of what makes me glad I live in Lawrence, Kansas. Expand the coverage and hours, and I might use it.

motherof4 (Anonymous) says…

Mr. Lee,
Not all of us want to pay for something we are not using, esp. those of us trying to raise a family!

just_another_bozo_on_this_bus (Anonymous) says…

“Not all of us want to pay for something we are not using, esp. those of us trying to raise a family!”

If you're raising a family, chances are there's a long list of things society as a whole is paying for on your behalf.

motherof4 (Anonymous) says…

Just another bozo… you could be right …. many things society as a whole is paying for middle class famlies. But with less than 1% of our population making use of the T-bus… why spend the money for such a small %?

Plus… what are all the T's doing to our air? have you ever gotten stuck behind one in traffic? That alone should be against the law!