Kevin Burke
@burke.bsky.social
Ask me about the Contra Costa County Housing Element
Video has a disappointing lack of focus on the tambourine player/hype man and whatever this is www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3QL...
June 19, 2025 at 5:47 AM
Video has a disappointing lack of focus on the tambourine player/hype man and whatever this is www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3QL...
This is very funny… “free fares had no impact on car volumes… reorganizing the bus network had a higher impact than free fares”
June 19, 2025 at 4:38 AM
This is very funny… “free fares had no impact on car volumes… reorganizing the bus network had a higher impact than free fares”
Most places have discounted fares for people who do not have a lot of money which is fine. We should probably also lower the cost of monthly passes. I should pay money to ride the bus though.
June 19, 2025 at 4:27 AM
Most places have discounted fares for people who do not have a lot of money which is fine. We should probably also lower the cost of monthly passes. I should pay money to ride the bus though.
If you need the bus to get to your job then you need the bus to arrive on time and get you there on time. If it’s free no one cares as much about getting you there.
June 19, 2025 at 2:10 AM
If you need the bus to get to your job then you need the bus to arrive on time and get you there on time. If it’s free no one cares as much about getting you there.
For any level of service you could provide with taxes, you could probably make riders better off by charging fares and then using the money to run more service.
Taxes also compete with other priorities like fire, sewer, water, police, parks, library, etc, which you can also provide more of with $
Taxes also compete with other priorities like fire, sewer, water, police, parks, library, etc, which you can also provide more of with $
June 19, 2025 at 2:08 AM
For any level of service you could provide with taxes, you could probably make riders better off by charging fares and then using the money to run more service.
Taxes also compete with other priorities like fire, sewer, water, police, parks, library, etc, which you can also provide more of with $
Taxes also compete with other priorities like fire, sewer, water, police, parks, library, etc, which you can also provide more of with $
Free is also a price that rations access
June 18, 2025 at 11:00 PM
Free is also a price that rations access
How is City College SF doing? Haven’t checked in on it in a while
June 18, 2025 at 10:26 PM
How is City College SF doing? Haven’t checked in on it in a while
“Desire to increase pollution” completely the opposite, if you can pay for more buses with user fees and more people ride the bus that’s less pollution.
Lower income riders in surveys suggest they prefer more frequent service to lower fares.
Lower income riders in surveys suggest they prefer more frequent service to lower fares.
June 18, 2025 at 10:24 PM
“Desire to increase pollution” completely the opposite, if you can pay for more buses with user fees and more people ride the bus that’s less pollution.
Lower income riders in surveys suggest they prefer more frequent service to lower fares.
Lower income riders in surveys suggest they prefer more frequent service to lower fares.
If there were giant airplanes between city blocks and everyone only needed to travel to one of four or five stops - I agree with you a free train would be a good way to solve that problem.
June 18, 2025 at 9:35 PM
If there were giant airplanes between city blocks and everyone only needed to travel to one of four or five stops - I agree with you a free train would be a good way to solve that problem.
Yes it’s a lot cheaper to operate a system frequently when it runs on electricity and there’s no driver!
Am I talking to a bot that has memorized a list of talking points and moves from one to the next. Maybe you should have paused for a moment after arguing $12m for 0.1% speed improvement was good
Am I talking to a bot that has memorized a list of talking points and moves from one to the next. Maybe you should have paused for a moment after arguing $12m for 0.1% speed improvement was good
June 18, 2025 at 9:34 PM
Yes it’s a lot cheaper to operate a system frequently when it runs on electricity and there’s no driver!
Am I talking to a bot that has memorized a list of talking points and moves from one to the next. Maybe you should have paused for a moment after arguing $12m for 0.1% speed improvement was good
Am I talking to a bot that has memorized a list of talking points and moves from one to the next. Maybe you should have paused for a moment after arguing $12m for 0.1% speed improvement was good
WMATA said their fare gates are going to add eight figures of revenue this year in addition to lowering crime throughout the system. Estimated cost was $40 million, so four years.
June 18, 2025 at 9:15 PM
WMATA said their fare gates are going to add eight figures of revenue this year in addition to lowering crime throughout the system. Estimated cost was $40 million, so four years.
I mean… those things are not the same, Europe uses PoP and that seems fine but they are also competent at checking tickets there and have a lower monthly pass amount
I’m not aware of a large system that has free fares and frequent service
I’m not aware of a large system that has free fares and frequent service
June 18, 2025 at 9:14 PM
I mean… those things are not the same, Europe uses PoP and that seems fine but they are also competent at checking tickets there and have a lower monthly pass amount
I’m not aware of a large system that has free fares and frequent service
I’m not aware of a large system that has free fares and frequent service
The gates are increasing the revenue. This is currently happening throughout the BART system, as well as WMATA.
In addition crime is down because people who commit crimes typically don’t pay the fare, and lower crime is also helping ridership.
In addition crime is down because people who commit crimes typically don’t pay the fare, and lower crime is also helping ridership.
June 18, 2025 at 9:03 PM
The gates are increasing the revenue. This is currently happening throughout the BART system, as well as WMATA.
In addition crime is down because people who commit crimes typically don’t pay the fare, and lower crime is also helping ridership.
In addition crime is down because people who commit crimes typically don’t pay the fare, and lower crime is also helping ridership.
Rear door boarding has already been funded in New York City. The readers exist on the buses. There is no “fresh funding crisis” for rear door boarding.
June 18, 2025 at 8:36 PM
Rear door boarding has already been funded in New York City. The readers exist on the buses. There is no “fresh funding crisis” for rear door boarding.
It saved one tenth of one percent of time according to the data, at a cost of $12 million.
June 18, 2025 at 8:32 PM
It saved one tenth of one percent of time according to the data, at a cost of $12 million.
The pilot demonstrates that the bus got slower during the pilot period
June 18, 2025 at 8:18 PM
The pilot demonstrates that the bus got slower during the pilot period
SFMTA also surveyed people who didn’t ride to ask why they didn’t ride and the top answers were that the bus was too slow and didn’t arrive often enough.
It found a 30% *increase in boardings* not an increase in riders. This is an argument for a cheaper monthly pass.
It found a 30% *increase in boardings* not an increase in riders. This is an argument for a cheaper monthly pass.
June 18, 2025 at 8:05 PM
SFMTA also surveyed people who didn’t ride to ask why they didn’t ride and the top answers were that the bus was too slow and didn’t arrive often enough.
It found a 30% *increase in boardings* not an increase in riders. This is an argument for a cheaper monthly pass.
It found a 30% *increase in boardings* not an increase in riders. This is an argument for a cheaper monthly pass.
If only - Dean Preston’s staff replied to this data by saying that a plurality of public comments on the MTA budget were asking for lower fares (after Preston had posted on Twitter that people should write in and ask for lower fares.)
June 18, 2025 at 6:56 PM
Yes - they are able to deliver higher frequencies because of the revenue they get from collecting fares.
June 18, 2025 at 4:38 PM
Yes - they are able to deliver higher frequencies because of the revenue they get from collecting fares.
Somehow bus agencies in Europe and San Francisco have solved this, New York can try what they tried, it’s not a law of nature that people won’t pay.
June 18, 2025 at 4:37 PM
Somehow bus agencies in Europe and San Francisco have solved this, New York can try what they tried, it’s not a law of nature that people won’t pay.
Opposition to fare increases from “bus should be free” folks blew a $20 million hole in SFMTA’s budget and led to service cuts
June 18, 2025 at 4:35 PM
Opposition to fare increases from “bus should be free” folks blew a $20 million hole in SFMTA’s budget and led to service cuts
Sorry where in Europe do they have free fares. HSR in China is not free.
June 18, 2025 at 4:32 PM
Sorry where in Europe do they have free fares. HSR in China is not free.