Kings Island drops bus service for city workers

I'll tell y9ou what, The parks gonna have to raise wages get the requred 3000 employees needed

I honestly can't blame them. Metro blackmails cities and buisnesses the same as everyone else. We'll travel five miles more (Outside the I-275 loop) for 40 thousand a year but otherwise forget it.

Chuck

I don't think it has anything to do with that. It was a bus route subsidized for the park and they don't want to pay for it. The responsibility lies with the park, not a regional transit authority.

I have mixed feelings about it. I tend to think that Cedar Fair as a whole doesn't do enough to offer services that would retain good people, but obviously I don't know if they were getting good workers there, or if the return on investment was adequate. Obviously if there's some less expensive way to get people working there, then spend the money on that.

A similar situation happened when they wanted to axe RTA service to Geauga Lake a few years back. Some parents protested stating that it was how their kids were able to get to and from the park for work. If there is enough outcry they may find a way to subsidize it.

Update:

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20070418/NEWS01/304180046/

Im so glad I moved out of hamilton county. It's stupid stuff like this that has the county payng far more than it should for things. 2.5 percent income tax. Half Cent for Stadiums, Half cent for jails.

75,000. You can't tell me this route isn't profitable when it could have and does have at least three busses of fifty people at 2.00 a head.

Chuck, who wasn't arguing the parks subsity of it. Just that Metro wants to blackmail money to have it.

I think you need to look up the definition of blackmail, because that's not what's going on here. Blackmail is "pay this or else." Or else what? If Cedar Fair thought they needed the route to survive, they would've kept paying for it.

I know that Jeff. IM just saying. Metro will not make the route unless someone else subsidizes it.

I see no reason why the route couldn't be sucessfull on it's own. Without the 75000 price tag.

Chuck

Methinks this is way more than a transportation issue.

How many months does this route operate? Just during the peak season? I figured that if it runs from May through August it comes out to 184 riders per day at a cost of $625 per day. That's roughly $3.40 per rider per day. I bet a charter bus operator could beat that by at least 15% compared to the transit agency.

Actually they run one buss daily in the off season. In season it's as many as four full busses

Chuck

Yeah the off season run is where all the money is going to.

Chuck said . . .

"Im so glad I moved out of hamilton county. It's stupid stuff like this that has the county payng far more than it should for things. 2.5 percent income tax. Half Cent for Stadiums, Half cent for jails."

You should check your facts, I live in Hamilton county and do not pay 2.5% income tax to the county. Never have. I do pay 6.5% sales tax (some of which goes to the stadiums) the same as people in Butler, Warren and Clermont county.

It is very beneficial for the county to offer up assistance to cover the bus service for the summer - and the price tag is small and the benefit to local economy is much bigger. With 22,000 riders making about $50 a day, that's over $1 million into the local economy. Clearly an example of good fiscal policy. This is why we pay tax, not an example of a bad one.

*** This post was edited by CoasterDad64 4/19/2007 8:48:44 AM ***

As far as I know, no one pays income tax to counties in Ohio. I'm pretty sure that's not legal. Counties get their income from sales tax.

We're at 6.0% here in Medina county, tied for the low with Hancock and Stark.