METRO Board meeting – rider concerns but improving performance
This afternoon I attended METRO’s March 24, 2005 board meeting. Several individuals commented at the beginning of the meeting and three raised operational issues. A frequent rider of route #8-South Main presented 1200 petition signatures to request additional bus capacity on that route between West Bellfort and the Texas Medical Center. Another rider has faced repeated equipment problems getting his scooter on/off park-and-ride buses. A third rider reported that as someone who suffers from asthma, he would like to see METRO ban smoking at all bus stops throughout the METRO service area. (A new City of Houston ordinance bans smoking at bus shelters and transit centers within Houston city limits effective September 1, 2005.)
Meanwhile, METRO CEO Frank Wilson reported that one key indicator of METRO’s operating performance is improving. Wilson says METRO’s “operating ratio,” calculated as fare income divided by transit cost, has trended downward for five years but is now flattening out (an improvement). Their 2005 target is a ratio of 15.3% and February’s ratio was 15.7%. That means fares are covering a growing share of the costs of service.
This information came from METRO’s February 2005 “Monthly Board Report.” Staff are apparently working to improve the usability of this report, which includes budget, ridership, and sales tax revenue data, as well as performance metrics and management discussion. I, for one, would like to see this report available for download from their website.
METRO’s board of directors meets the 4th Thursday of each month at 1:00 pm on the 2nd floor of their downtown administration building at 1900 Main Street. The agenda is generally available the week of the meeting here.