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Public Transit Ridership in the United States

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[quote user="schlimm"] ...sam1 seems to think only in terms of the immediate, obvious costs one can find in a financial statement.  The issue is not that simplistic. [/quote] I am aware of the many so-called externalities associated with public transit vs. autos, etc. The problem is how to measure them.  It is usually done with statistical sampling and regression analysis that leads to a very broad range of potential outcomes. The financials are a pretty good place to start. They are not everything, but they give a good picture of how an activity is performing from a financial perspective. In the case of a public entity, such as Metra, they provide valuable insight into how much the activity costs and who is paying for it. According to Metra's 2010 audited financial statements, in that year Metra had operating revenues of $296.4 million, of which $239.4 million was passenger revenue and $57.0 million was other. It had operating expenses of $615.7 million before depreciation.  Depreciation was $213.8 million, thereby bringing total expenses to $829.5 million. The agency received $590.9 million in external support, i.e. sales tax revenues, grants, etc. The agency recovered 38.9 per cent of its operating expenses before depreciation from the fare box and 28.9 per cent after inclusion of depreciation.  It recovered 48.1 per cent of expenses from total revenues before depreciation and 35.7 per cent after depreciation.   These numbers appear to be in line for those for the CTA.  Metra's claim regarding operating expense recovery appears to overlook depreciation and other charges. These are real charges that must be covered by someone. As is the case with Amtrak, it is the taxpayers.
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