Bacon's Rebellion

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Your Tax Dollars at Work: The Virginia Breeze

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James A. Bacon
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by James A. Bacon

The Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) subsidizes three bus routes connecting communities in Southside and Southwest Virginia to population centers to the north. One of those, the Valley Flyer, links Blacksburg and Virginia Tech, ferrying college students to Northern Virginia and back. It carried more than 2,800 passengers in the 1st quarter of 2021. The farebox recovery was 45%, and the average cost per passengers was a modest $45.33, according to DRPT’s Virginia Breeze Bus Lines 1st Quarter 2021 report. Not bad as far as public transportation goes.

A second line, the Capital Connector, connects Martinsville with Richmond and Northern Virginia. It carried 820 passengers in the 1st quarter, for a 10% farebox recovery and an average cost per passenger of $231.60. Not so good.

Then there is the Piedmont Express, commencing in Danville and running through Altavista, Lynchburg, Amherst, Charlottesville, Culpeper, Warrenton, Gainesville and Dulles airport before terminating in Washington. The 1st quarter passenger count was 269, the farebox recovery 5%, and the average cost per passenger $729.63.

Zero passengers stopped in Amherst, Altavista and Warrenton that quarter. Only one stopped in Lynchburg and one in Gainesville.

For purposes of comparison you can rent a Lexus in the Washington metropolitan area for around $60 per day, and drive it up to 600 miles. The distance between Washington, D.C., and Martinsville is 300 miles. The Lexus gets 22 miles per gallon, which implies a consumption of 15 gallons. At $3 per gallon, that’s $45 for gasoline.

Here’s a suggestion for DRPT: Lease a fleet of Lexus automobiles and let would-be bus passengers drive them to Northern Virginia for free. It’ll save a whole lot of money, and I’ll bet the passengers will enjoy the trip a lot more.

This is insanity. It’s not as if there isn’t vigorous private-sector competition vying for the meager traffic between small towns — like Greyhound, Trailways and Megabus. If there is money to be made, those companies will sniff it out. If there is insufficient demand to support a private route, what justification is there for DRPT to squander taxpayer dollars?

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28 responses to “Your Tax Dollars at Work: The Virginia Breeze”

  1. James Kiser Avatar
    James Kiser

    Never under estimate the ability of politicians to waste your money and for others to take it. Look at Terry McAuliffe and the Chinese grifters from his inept admin.

    1. Stephen Haner Avatar
      Stephen Haner

      Tip of the iceberg, James.

  2. LarrytheG Avatar
    LarrytheG

    Had a discussion with the new locall transit director where he said the lions share of the money comes from the Feds with a requirement for some level of local match for operating. Two kinds of money, capital and operating. The thing I found interesting is that he said the capital money could be also used to obtain income-producing property that could then be used to help fund the more limited operational money. I thought that is the way that some other transit in other parts of the world operates – i.e. they own income-producing property that is used to subsidize fares.

    Haven’t ever heard of this before – in this country but wonder if it is a way forward for transit.

    Not opposed to the uber idea per se but uber as a social good versus uber as a profit-chasing service are not the same. Would uber be any cheaper than transit if uber has to serve places with less density.

    Many countries use these :

    https://i.pinimg.com/originals/98/20/98/98209800210e0b8195d405ff1275b090.jpg

    Won’t work on interstates and such.

    1. how_it_works Avatar
      how_it_works

      Wouldn’t meet Federal emissions and safety requirements no matter what road they’re being used on.

      1. LarrytheG Avatar
        LarrytheG

        not the ones overseas but could be built in this country to meet such standards, especially if electric.

        1. how_it_works Avatar
          how_it_works

          The Federal crash regulations would be the problem. There’s a reason why cars don’t weigh 2200lbs anymore.

          1. LarrytheG Avatar
            LarrytheG

            the “box cage” on most modern cars can be adapted (and is) to a variety of vehicles , no?

            https://www.carfax.com/blog/smallest-cars

            Pretty sure the technology exists and especially so if it just for city streets where we already allow bikes, and other wheeled thingies like Segways.

      2. WayneS Avatar
        WayneS

        And some countries use these:
        https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/0a4532e782f6d64a1c4f3c17ba96f880fde4f044f824a1d35d5778747b23d799.jpg

        😉

  3. Peter Galuszka Avatar
    Peter Galuszka

    Anything to keep lower income people in small towns and rural areas down, rrght Jim?

    1. DJRippert Avatar
      DJRippert

      Seriously? Do you think the people in these small towns are commuting on these buses for work? Of course not. It’s way too long a trip. This is subsidized sightseeing, vacationing and transportation for the college children of wealthy Northern Virginia families.

      Another Northam era fiasco.

      1. WayneS Avatar
        WayneS

        The ‘tell’ is that during the time period noted in the article the line from Blacksburg/Va. Tech to NOVA carried 2.5 times the number of passengers as the other two routes combined.

      2. LarrytheG Avatar
        LarrytheG

        It’s not Northam (once again). It’s the way the Feds do funding for transit. It basically encourages stove-piping and does not incentivize “joint”.

        Remember how long it took for the military to start calling some of it’s bases and activities as “Joint” as in Joint Base Andrews?

        It’s the same problem. I do give VRE and Amtrak some credit – their schedules “mesh” better than they used to.

        Transit epitomizes how messy some govt functions are and transit is a prime example but as bad as it is and it is , I’ve never heard serious proposals to do away with METRO or VRE or other transit even though some of it is antiquated in terms of it’s relevance to 21st century mobility.

  4. Publius Avatar
    Publius

    Good union jobs…build back better!

  5. Matt Adams Avatar
    Matt Adams

    The notion that someone is southwest VA would have any reason to visit NOVA outside of Medical Treatment or vacation is in a word hilarious.

    If they wanted to have outreach they’d build more Infrusture for rail, however they’d have to decrease the price of the VRE to do so. As it stands a monthly pass to NOVA from Spotys is ~$400.

    1. DJRippert Avatar
      DJRippert

      What? People aren’t commuting to work at 5 hours each way?

      1. Matt Adams Avatar
        Matt Adams

        Depends on the time of day, pre-covid the early VRE would skip stop on the way up in the mornings, it just left at 0515. On the way back it would hit all stops unless you paid the 2 dollar upgrade to Slamtrak.

        However, if you leave Spotys by 0430 you can be in Arlington by 0530 and if you don’t take a lunch leave at 1430, which gets you back home at 1600 traffic and express lanes dependent of course.

    2. how_it_works Avatar
      how_it_works

      If you’re a Federal employee, the FedGov picks up a large chunk of that $400.

      1. Matt Adams Avatar
        Matt Adams

        Unfortunately for those of us who are not Fed’s the only relief we can get is it take out before taxes. You are correct, the Fed covers the costs of that and Metro for their employee’s. Otherwise known as me paying for my ride and theirs.

  6. Axel Hellman Avatar
    Axel Hellman

    The Piedmont Express route is especially egregious because it directly parallels the amtrak line that the commonwealth is subsidizing- so they are essentially self competing. The services even run at the same time, so it’s not even creating additional alternatives.

    The Piedmont Express leaves Lynchburg at 9:35 am and arrives Washington 2:40pm. There’s an Amtrak train that leaves Lynchburg at 9:41 am and arrives Washington 1:45 pm. Makes no sense.

    1. LarrytheG Avatar
      LarrytheG

      I’ve noticed this also in a generalized way for “competing” transit services. For instance, we have to lobby for local transit to align their schedules to VRE commuter rail and park & ride lots.

      They literally are on different “tracks” it seems sometimes.

      1. Axel Hellman Avatar
        Axel Hellman

        Likewise, Capitol Connector route had 75% of its passengers traveling between Washington DC and Richmond, a corridor that already has several other transit options.

  7. DJRippert Avatar
    DJRippert

    Another example of a mindless rural subsidy. As far as I can see, the biggest users of this subsidized service must be college students from relatively wealthy Northern Virginia families.

    Another “Northam and the Democrats” special.

    1. WayneS Avatar
      WayneS

      Yes. During the time period noted in the article the line from Blacksburg/Va. Tech to NOVA carried 2.5 times the number of passengers as the other two routes combined.

      PS – The Virginia Breeze started running in 2017, so it appears to be a “McAuliffe and the democrats” special. Although Northam was Lt. Governor at the time, so perhaps “McAuliffe, Northam & the Democrats”, or “MN&D”, is most accurate.

      As a bonus, MN&D can also be read as “Moronic Nitwits and Dumba$$es”

  8. WayneS Avatar
    WayneS

    With apologies to J.J. Cale (may he rest in peace):

    Call me the breeze
    I burn money as I roll
    Well now, they call me the breeze
    I burn money as I roll
    I ain’t got many riders,
    I don’t carry me no load…

  9. Terry Nyhous Avatar
    Terry Nyhous

    Reagan Redux — “I’m from the guvmint and I’m here to help.” Let the private carriers provide the transportation and allow capitalism to thrive.

  10. Paul Sweet Avatar
    Paul Sweet

    2800 passengers in 91 days = 31 passengers per day.
    820 passengers in 91 days = 9 passengers per day.
    269 passengers in 91 days = 3 passengers per day.
    These are round trip totals, about half each way.

    Full size interstate buses appear to be overkill. Since Dulles appears to be the main destination, I wonder if these buses might be almost full the days before and after a college holiday and run empty the rest of the time.

  11. JimBob237 Avatar
    JimBob237

    This is a federally mandated program (Rural Intercity Bus program). https://www.transit.dot.gov/rural-formula-grants-5311

    Virginia has 2 choices – 1, opt out if it can prove there is private service to connect these areas, or 2, use its federally appropriated $ to provide service where private service no longer exists. For years, it took option 1. What you see here is option 2.

    The Virginia constitution forbids the commonwealth from competing with private entities, so what you see here is the cross roads of tiny markets where no demand exists – but the federal government requiring a service be provided where no private carrier otherwise will – hence the abysmal ridership numbers.

    It’s a known subsidy, and no one expects those numbers to get any better.

    1. LarrytheG Avatar
      LarrytheG

      Thanks. Of all the various tax-funded services that fiscal conservatives get heartburn over, this has to be in the top 5.

      I don’t mind the idea of rural mobility services but there has to be a more cost-effective approach.

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