Public Transportation is Good for Business
Posted on: Sunday, 18 November 2007, 12:00 CST
By BILL CARTWRIGHT
Here in the Midwest, it may seem impossible to live without a car. We reside miles from where we work; we often are required to leave our homes to run errands or pick up the kids on a whim; it seems we couldn't possibly get anything done without this necessity.
But there are millions of Americans who get by just fine without cars. And, in an age where driving by the gas station can spark depression, there are thousands more Americans looking for another way.
So what can Tulsans do to avoid the high price of commuting by car? Across the country, and in Tulsa, more people are turning to public transportation.
Some are transit dependent. But many are just looking for alternatives to driving every day. Many two-earner families have discovered that they can save a lot by owning one car and having one spouse use transit to commute to work. According to the Driving Cost Calculator at www.tulsaworld.com/transit , a person with a daily work commute of 20 miles can save $1,964.40 annually by riding the bus instead of driving.
Simply put, public transportation is good for business.
In Tulsa, our bus system is smaller on a per capita basis than virtually all of our peer cities. As an example, in Tulsa we provide our citizens 0.26 annual service hours of public transportation per capita, compared to 0.46 in Kansas City, Mo.; 0.57 in Fort Worth; and 0.75 in Tucson, Ariz.
This shortage of service manifests itself in the form of lengthy bus waiting times, inadequate nighttime service and no Sunday service. This presents real problems for many who would like to use public transit but find it does not fit well with their situations.
What I recommend to people who commute between south Tulsa or Broken Arrow and downtown, and what I do myself, is use Tulsa Transit's Express Park-and-Ride option at least once a week.
By parking at Battle Creek Church or Indian Springs Church in Broken Arrow or Union Intermediate High School on South Garnett Road and using the Park-and-Ride just one day a week, a commuter can save more than $500 a year. On days when I'm scheduled to be in the office all day with no outside appointments, it's a great option.
Information about Tulsa Transit's Express Park-and-Ride options also can be found on the Web site mentioned earlier.
The American Public Transportation Association maintains that for every $1 invested in public transit, there is a $3 increase in business sales. From a business standpoint, this seems like a no-brainer. After all, it can be difficult for businesses to find new employees. Often the reason why people have trouble finding, or holding down, a job is their lack of dependable transportation.
By beefing up our existing system, we can enable more people to seek and secure stable employment. At the same time, we can improve the quality of life for transit-dependent residents and others who simply wish to save money. These are things that benefit all of us.
In fact, public transit results in a multitude of outcomes that benefit us in different ways.
It helps reduce traffic congestion and air pollution. The Environmental Protection Agency is looking at reducing the federal allowable ozone level. Their final decision on this is expected later this year. If the allowable ozone standard is lowered, Tulsans could find our city on the government's dirty air list, and the consequences of that happening could be severe.
Clearly, we should consider the benefits to our community by improving our public transportation system. Besides reducing pollution and congestion, we can help ensure that everyone who needs a ride to work has one.
It's good for our businesses, it's good for our pocketbooks, and it's good for our environment.
Bill Cartwright is general manager of the Metropolitan Tulsa Transit Authority.
The views expressed here are those of the author and not the Tulsa World. To inquire about writing a Business Viewpoint column, e-mail a short outline of the article to Business Editor John Stancavage at john.stancavage@tulsaworld.com.
The column should focus on a business trend; outlook for the city, state or industry; or discuss a topic of interest in a particular area of expertise. Articles should not promote the writer's business or be overly political in nature.
Originally published by BILL CARTWRIGHT Business Viewpoint.
(c) 2007 Tulsa World. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.
Source: Tulsa World
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