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The Tide offers free rides with 500,000th passenger

Posted to: Light Rail News Norfolk Traffic - Transportation

NORFOLK

The Tide will offer free light-rail rides Wednesday, Hampton Roads Transit has announced, because it carried its 500,000th passenger Saturday.

The light-rail line opened in August. The freebie is "a way to say thank you to the thousands of commuters who made this milestone possible," said a news release Sunday from the transit service.

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HRT

With HRT giving out Free Rides to everyone,I guess Norfolk Police Officers did not get any of the free milk from overtime. The Crooked Norfolk Judges did not slap anyone with hefty fines for not paying that lousy fair. Well Public the honeymoon is over now. Norfolk Police Officers will continue to suck up the free milk from the cash cow. And the Crooked Norfolk Judges will continue to slap a fine on everyone who don't pay the fair. In the end I hope all the funds State and Federal dry up and HRT gets derailed.

This is REALLY AMERICA

It is really a good thing we live in America, where people are allowed and given the opportunity to have thoughts, ideas and opinions. Many of the "naysayers" will always be that way. Taxes will ALWAYS be, so if it gives you a sounding board to complain about progress, so beit. I personlly get a benefit from the lightrail, and have been a PAYING rider since the extension of the free rides. My family and I ride it from Newtown Rd to Monticello Mon-Friday and even on Saturday's when I have to come to Norfolk. So try not complaining so much, because if you are not part of the SOLUTION then you are part of the problem. JMO

free riders

do you all truly understand when it's free? today it is free for all, but not really for those that are considered free riders otherwise. i think most of you all forget that the free riders are being paid riders. it's because of an agreement between the light rail and the company or in some cases university - they are paying to have them ride the tide. so it's not a free rider!! so today, it is actually free to the non-free rider normally. i think it would be great if they do extend light rail as proposed to VB and to Hampton/Newport News. it definately would remove some of the snaggle lines with cars. save on that GAS and the EMISSIONS!

What is the average fare paid for each of the 500,000 riders?

What is the average fare paid for each of the 500,000 riders? The actual cost of the Tide is being paid by hardworking, tax paying citizens. The taxpayer is getting a ride while most of the ridership gets free rides.

eureka, Currently there isn't enough data available to

answer your question regarding the 500K riders. However, for the month of September, the average fare paid for LRT is 89.6 cents and for the bus it is 81.7 cents per rider.

The total taxpayer subsidy per ride is $4.95 for LRT and $2.61 for the bus. However, if we look at the local subsidy meaning that paid by those living within the HRT service area, things are vastly different. The local subsidy per ride is 67 cents per ride for LRT vs. $1.35 per ride for the buses.

Meaning that the buses are hitting your wallet far more heavily than light rail is. And in the first year of operation light rail systems always improve from the initial lows. Octobers LRT numbers are better than Septembers, but I don't have bus numbers to compare that.

What's the average fare siince the inception of Norfolk's LTR?

You know the riders that rode freebut were clearly counter as LTR achievements. The fact is the average ridership does not appear to exceed 10% of the fare. Looks like your a mouthpiece for HRT.

AlanB a Lobbyist for HRT,

AlanB a Lobbyist for HRT, You must be one of the 24 HRT employees making over $100,000

No, I just know how to do

No, I just know how to do research and look up facts. All of the info I presented is publicly available, so anyone, even you could have found it had you bothered to look. Then I did some simple math calculations and presented the data.

That way I don't have to resort to false allegations like you did.

For the record, I run a small computer consulting company that specializes in setting up networks for other small companies that employ less than 100 people. Well below HRT's radar.

But of course it's simply easier for you to believe that I'm a lobbyist rather than accept the truth about light rail.

No trucks on the....

....interstates either, huh? Another truth about the choo-choo?

No trucks on the Interstate?

No trucks on the Interstate? What the heck are you even talking about?

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