Struggling ridership? Not according to the facts!

Opponents of the transportation referendum have repeatedly claimed that existing light rail systems are suffering low ridership levels far below those predicted before the systems opened. In a related claim, they have stated that transit ridership is declining throughout the country. These false claims are leading residents to believe that building this system would be a waste.

Mobility Mike and Commuter Carly will not rest until Hillsborough County voters know the truth about facts and stats related to the Transportation Referendum!

Using our super-research skills, we have discovered that in comparable communities such as Charlotte, Salt Lake City, and Phoenix, light rail ridership has significantly exceeded initial projections. In Salt Lake City, ridership on the line serving the University of Utah (a school with 10,000 fewer students than the University of South Florida Tampa campus) is double initial projections. The table below summarizes the projected and actual ridership values for these communities.

System	Projected Ridership	Actual Ridership
Charlotte (11/07)	9,100 per day	14,500 per day (July 2009)
Phoenix (12/08)	26,000 per day	34,809 per day (First year of operation)
Salt Lake City (1999)	41,300 per week	Exceeding by 40%

Nationally, the success story for transit ridership continues. According to the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), transit ridership nearly doubled between 1990 and 2000. In fact, transit ridership has grown faster than highway use. Between 1995 and 2003, trips on public transit in the US increased by 22% while highway use climbed only 18.9%. In 2008, the U.S. experienced record transit ridership despite lower gas prices. These increases were largest for light rail systems, with systems in Baltimore, Minneapolis, Sacramento, New Jersey, Los Angeles, Dallas, Denver, Buffalo, and Memphis all experiencing ridership increases of 13-20%.

Even Hillsborough County has seen increases. HART’s ridership has increased 7% annually since 2003, and last year, HART carried an agency record 13 million riders.

Together, this evidence demonstrates that rather than struggling with ridership, ridership levels are higher than projected and are growing every year.

So... struggling ridership? Not according to these numbers -- not according to the facts!

We will continue to spread the true facts and stats surrounding the Transportation Referendum to Hillsborough County voters! Help us by sharing this post with your friends, family, and co-workers.

Heroically Yours,

-Mobility Mike and Commuter Carly

Check the facts:

http://www.gohart.org/whytransit/economic_impact_of_hart_final_july_2010.pdf

http://www.cfte.org/Building_Communities.pdf

http://passengertransport.apta.com/aptapt/issues/2008-12-15/

http://www.gohart.org/departments/marketing/news/hart_named_best_transit_agency.html

UPDATE: 14% Increase?

UPDATE: Originally, in our relentless pursuit of truth, we informed you that the opponents of the transportation referendum in Hillsborough County were simply misleading voters with their 14% claims. However, we recently learned that this opposition group is claiming not that passing the transportation initiative would increase the sales tax by 14%, but that the referendum would be a "14% increase in the cost of goods and services."

This is beyond misleading -- it is blatantly false. First, there is no sales tax on services, period. Second, as our earlier example shows, the increase in the cost of goods is only 1%, or one penny for each dollar spent. Not only that, but the surtax is not even applied to all goods, since it is not applied to food or medicine!

Mobility Mike and Commuter Carly will not rest while Hillsborough County voters are misled by false information!

14% Tax Increase? We don't think so...

Opponents of the transportation sales surtax referendum in Hillsborough County are claiming the referendum would increase the sales tax by 14%. Because sales tax is measured in 1% increments, this figure is misleading since it may cause residents to believe that if they buy an item, they will pay an additional 14% on their entire purchase when this is certainly not the case. This investment in our community is one percent.

Today, when a parent spends $20 on back to school supplies, they pay $21.40 with the existing sales tax. When the referendum passes, they would pay $21.60, a difference of only 20 cents. Obviously, this is not a 14% increase on the purchase, but rather a one percent increase (or 20 cents on a $20 purchase).

So spread the word, and don't let your friends and family get lost in the spin.

Your defenders of transportation truth,
Mobility Mike and Commuter Carly