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August 26, 2010 Dear Friends of Metro, It's certainly been a busy summer. While we've been enjoying vacations, picnics and special events, Metro has provided almost 5 million rides to people going to jobs, healthcare, education and all that our community has to offer. Our buses are on the street from before dawn until after midnight, every day, keeping our region moving forward. This great service would not be possible without our excellent bus operators, mechanics and staff behind the scenes. We're extremely proud of our Metro team. This summer, I've shared with you many of the issues facing our organization and reminded you of the many benefits we provide. We have a wonderful community and Metro connects the dots for so many people in so many ways:
This is my last newsletter as we conclude our summer outreach. I hope you've enjoyed these e-mails as much as I've enjoyed sharing Metro information with you. Thank you for sending me your thoughts on public transportation. I hope you keep your comments about Metro coming to me at melody@go-metro.com. Thank you for supporting Metro. It's a pleasure to have you along for the ride. Melody Sawyer Richardson PS: Remember, even if you never ride Metro, mass transit is one of the things that contributes to the overall quality of life in our community. In addition to transit's role in energy conservation and environmental responsibility, it is critical to our future and the world we leave to our children and grandchildren. August 12, 2010 Dear Friends of Metro, The recession has gone on far longer than anyone anticipated. I think we are all ready for it to end! Over the past year, Metro's revenue decreased almost 10% percent and our largest source of funding, the City of Cincinnati's earnings tax, declined precipitously. That led to difficult decisions like cutting service and raising fares at the end of last year. There's currently no extra money for expansion of transit services. Most other transit systems nationally are also continuing to struggle. While many are cutting service and raising fares for the second or third time, Metro appears to have stabilized financially, thanks to the actions we took last year and the excellent leadership of our CEO, Marilyn Shazor. The budget is still tight, but we are not anticipating additional service or fare changes this year or next. Our goal is to hold steady for our customers and continue to meet their needs to the best of our fiscal ability. Despite the negative financial environment, Metro continues to improve service. We're achieving record-breaking on-time performance. Our safety record - which, by the way, was recently recognized with an award from the American Public Transportation Association -- is improving even more. More hybrid buses are going into service this year and even more are on order for next year. We continue to be dedicated to our vision of becoming a world-class, intensely customer-focused transit system. Greater Cincinnati deserves nothing less. We're planning now so that we're prepared when the economy turns around. If you have ideas of how we could better serve the community, let me know at Melody@go-metro.com. Melody Sawyer Richardson PS: Remember, even if you never ride Metro, mass transit is one of the things that contributes to the overall quality of life in our community. In addition to transit's role in energy conservation and environmental responsibility, it is critical to our future and the world we leave to our children and grandchildren. July 29, 2010 Dear Friends of Metro, Looking for a great return on investment? For a $1.75 base fare, a Metro customer can ride on a comfortable, efficient biodiesel-fueled or hybrid bus driven by a professional, experienced and courteous driver. No parking costs, no hassles, no headaches. Just a comfortable, safe trip from Point A to Point B that costs less than most bottled water. Did you know that the bus fare covers only about a third of the cost of a ride? The balance comes from federal, state and local tax dollars and, to a lesser degree, from things like advertising on the buses. The earnings tax collected by the City of Cincinnati accounts for about half of Metro's operating budget. We don't receive funding from Hamilton County, and service in Butler, Warren and Clermont counties is paid by transit dollars allocated to those counties. When you think about it, all transportation is subsidized. Our roads and highways (with the exception of toll roads) are funded 100% with tax dollars. The cost to expand road capacity is astronomical. Transit has the ability to move people efficiently and at a lower cost per trip. Nationally, for every $1 invested in public transportation, $4 is generated in economic benefits. Some important benefits are harder to quantify: Metro energizes the urban core, strengthens the regional economy, connects people to jobs, and improves our quality of life. Transit is an investment that pays tremendous dividends in terms of mobility, accessibility and sustainability. What are your thoughts? Please email me at Melody@go-metro.com. Melody Sawyer Richardson PS: Remember, even if you never ride Metro, mass transit is one of the things that contributes to the overall quality of life in our community. In addition to transit's role in energy conservation and environmental responsibility, it is critical to our future and the world we leave to our children and grandchildren. July 15, 2010 Dear Friends of Metro, A picture may be worth a thousand words, but a Metro bus is worth thousands of stories. As you know, we've asked members of the community to tell us how Metro affects them in terms of access to jobs, environment, energy independence and quality of life. The responses have been beyond our expectations. Here are some of the stories we've heard: "Without [Metro] I couldn't get to the doctor. I couldn't interview for jobs. I couldn't visit friends and stay connected. Metro enriches my life every day." - Elizabeth Fischer "My eyesight is not what it used to be so I don't drive, but Metro helps keep me independent." - Anthony Walker "...not only does the Metro get me anywhere I need to go in the city, but it is so much more full of life than riding in a car by yourself." - Edouard Bullock "The company of my friends and acquaintances affirms that we are all more alike than different, and demonstrates that when we work - and ride - together, we all benefit." - Rick Dikeman I couldn't have said it better myself. What stories would be told if there were no Metro? Missed doctors' appointments, lost job opportunities, more air pollution and traffic, less mobility for thousands of people every day. Now, imagine the stories if we as a community were to expand transit. Eager for your thoughts... send me an email at Melody@go-metro.com. Melody Sawyer Richardson July 1, 2010 Dear Friends of Metro, With the catastrophic oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico and world concerns related to oil, "Independence Day" this year takes on new significance. On July 4, take a minute to think about how you and your family can help our country promote energy independence by supporting transit. According to the American Public Transportation Association, public transportation saves the U.S. the equivalent of 4.2 billion gallons of gasoline annually -- more than three times the oil imported from Kuwait. Metro provides about 19 million rides per year... that's a lot of fuel saved locally, thanks to all of those customers who have chosen to ride Metro instead of hopping in the car for every trip. Metro also helps reduce dependence on foreign oil by using homegrown biofuels like soybean-based biodiesel and by incorporating fuel-efficient hybrid and articulated buses into our fleet. Our six hybrid buses carried 330,000 passengers approximately 210,000 miles in their first year, primarily on self-generated electric energy. Even more, they reduced diesel fuel consumption by more than 7,000 gallons for a total cost savings of more than $20,000. For a tax-supported organization like Metro, that's significant. We are fortunate to live in a country that allows us freedom of choice. Even if you never ride Metro, supporting transit's role in energy conservation and environmental responsibility is critical to our future and the world we leave to our children and grandchildren. Transit is one of the things that contributes to the overall quality of life in a community. Share your thoughts on transit's role in energy independence at Melody@go-metro.com and have a safe Fourth of July. Melody Sawyer Richardson June 24, 2010 Dear Friends of Metro,
We are very pleased to present Metro's 2010 Community Report in an electronic (and environmentally friendly) format for your use. Despite economic challenges, last year was an exceptional year for Metro. We introduced our first hybrid and articulated "accordion" buses. Our new transit hub at the Cincinnati Zoo won LEED certification. Our buses operated on-schedule about 89% of the time, service reliability improved, and customer satisfaction increased. Take a moment to consider Metro's many contributions to Greater Cincinnati:
Despite these positives, there are challenges. Jobs are widely dispersed and many people can't access employment in areas not served by transit. This time of change provides an opportunity to examine how transit should be provided and ultimately funded in our region. I hope you will take a few minutes to read our community report and share your thoughts with me at Melody@go-metro.com. After all, Metro is your transit system and we need to hear from you. Melody Sawyer Richardson June 17, 2010 Dear Friends of Metro, Are you ready to dump the pump? On June 17, Metro will be celebrating the 5th Annual National Dump the Pump Day sponsored by the American Public Transportation Association. All around the country, people will be giving up their cars for just one day to try transit. I hope you will use Dump the Pump Day to "test drive" Metro and to learn more about how much money you can save by riding public transportation. Our customers save whether they use the bus to commute to and from work occasionally or completely give up the use of a car. According to the APTA Transit Savings Report, individuals in a two-person household can save an average of more than $9,000 annually by downsizing to one car. The average household spends 18 cents of every dollar on transportation, and 94% of this goes to buying, maintaining and operating cars. That makes transportation the largest household expenditure after housing. Curious about how much money you could save by riding Metro? Go to our website and use the savings calculator to see your own savings. Choosing transit doesn't have to be drastic. Try riding Metro on alternate days or on days when you have no appointments or errands to run. Why not start on June 17? Dump the pump. Ride Metro. Save money. I'd love to hear about your trip and the people you meet along the way. Send me an email at Melody@go-metro.com. Melody Sawyer Richardson June 10, 2010 Dear Friends of Metro, Tomorrow, the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority's strategic planning committee is taking a field trip. We've partnered with the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber, Hamilton County Development Company, West Chester-Liberty Chamber Alliance, and Northeast Cincinnati Chamber to create an economic development listening tour that showcases current and emerging development hot spots in Hamilton County, Butler County and Warren County. We've invited a small group of political, business, transportation and union leaders to join us on a new articulated bus to learn from local economic development experts and see first-hand how our region is evolving. For several months, our strategic planning effort has been setting the stage for the development of a long-range plan for Metro... a 20-30 year vision of what transit could and should become to support regional objectives.Decisions of this importance can't be made cloistered in a conference room.That's why this listening tour is so important. We must fully explore and understand the development landscape so that our transit planning supports Greater Cincinnati's future. Progressive regions recognize that transit is an economic development tool. Connecting people to jobs is a key component of transit's mission. By providing a higher level of reliable, affordable transportation, businesses increase access to a broader pool of workers on all shifts. Expanded transit opens up new opportunities for people living at or near the poverty level to connect to employment in areas they can't currently reach. If we expand transit, everyone wins: individuals, employers and the community. SORTA's strategic planning committee would appreciate your thoughts on Metro's future direction.Just e-mail me at Melody@go-metro.com, and I'll share with the team. Melody Sawyer Richardson June 3, 2010 Dear Friends of Metro, Did you know that half of the rides provided by Metro -- nearly 10 million rides a year -- connect people to jobs? Approximately 20% of downtown workers ride Metro. Imagine the impact of 15,000-20,000 additional vehicles on downtown streets every business day. We'd need to build many more parking garages to accommodate all those cars and rush hour would be a disaster, if it weren't for Metro. In the current economy, riding Metro makes more sense than ever. A Metro commuter can expect annual savings of several thousand dollars in gas, wear-and-tear on their vehicles and parking. Employers including Duke Energy, Kroger, Cincinnati Children's Hospital and many more allow their employees to buy passes pre-tax... which also reduces payroll taxes for the employer. Some employers share in the cost of their employees' Metro passes to further encourage the use of transit. Check out Metro's Savings Calculator at www.go-metro.com to learn how much money public transit could save you or your employees. As much as Metro does to support the local economy, we want to do more. We're only constrained by our current funding, which isn't adequate to allow us to grow the transit system to connect more effectively with jobs throughout the region. These e-blasts are intended to spark dialogue... what are your thoughts? Should Metro aspire to grow its system to connect more people to employment? Where should service be added? Drop me an email with your thoughts at Melody@go-metro.com. Melody Sawyer Richardson May 27, 2010 Dear Friends of Metro, Every person, every organization, every region has a story to tell. Today I'd like to share with you my Metro story... As Chair of the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority (SORTA), it is my pleasure to serve the community and to support key initiatives that will bring public transportation to more people and advance economic growth. Today, Greater Cincinnati's landscape is changing. Jobs are widely dispersed as the region continues to expand, yet many people can't access employment in areas not served by transit. This time of change provides an opportunity to examine how transit should be provided and ultimately funded in our region. This summer, Metro is engaging the community in a dialogue about the benefits of transit. We will tell our story and gather stories from the community in four categories:
Look for us at community events, libraries, community centers and public venues. We're offering a year of free rides for the best video story and the best written story to generate excitement and generate as many Metro stories as we can. Through this effort, Metro intends to raise awareness of transit and begin the work of creating a sustainable future for public transportation that supports regional objectives. Every story is important. What's your Metro story? I'd love to hear it. E-mail me at Melody@go-metro.com. Melody Sawyer Richardson |
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