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To the post's original idea of a rush hour charge, I think that right now it would create more problems than it solved. But I would be interested in exploring the idea further, including:

1. What is the appropriate price point? ($.50? $1, or the CaBi standby, $1.50?). And what is the main benefit CaBi would be pursuing: lower unmet demand, or more revenue?

Not unlike the bag tax, this policy would be pursuing multiple potential benefits -- on one hand, if the surcharge reduces commuting demand, you might be less likely to have as many empty/full stations during rush hour. On the other hand, a smaller fee (50 or even 25 cents, perhaps) that didn't significantly reduce demand, you could have a dedicated revenue source of $1,000 per day that could be put toward adding 2, 3, 4 more redistributing vans, (which would in turn make the service more valuable/available, and increase capacity). The latter seems to be more valuable than a charge that would create disincentives for riding.

2. How would you select the stations? Would charges be based on departure stations, arrival stations, or both? It seems like this would be difficult to do selectively--both in terms of simplicity and perception of fairness.

One simple alternative would be to select a "downtown zone" (possibly equivalent to the no-sidewalk-riding zone of 2nd-to-23rd, Constitution-to-Mass, or else expanded to include Capitol Hill, NoMa and SW office districts). 8-10 a.m. rides ending in the downtown zone, and 4-6 p.m. rides departing from those zones would be assessed the surcharge.

3. Where does the money go?

In order for this type of program to gain any public traction, it would have to provide transparent and visible benefits. If the money collected was directed toward additional redistribution vans (and publicized as such), there would be a visible benefit, in the form of more bikes available for those who do want to commute.

Conversely, the funds could support a to "Rush Hour Station Fund" in which CaBi riders could see the collected amount in a fundraising thermometer, and saw how the funds directly led to a new station (beyond those planned in the DC budget). If CaBi wanted to make this even more interesting, riders who paid in via rush hour commutes could vote on where the next "Rush Hour Funded Station" would be placed.

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None of these ideas take away from the fact that right now, adding a surcharge would likely alienate some portion of the CaBi membership, who believe that they paid for a system that would give them all-you-can-ride access to bikes. But they do raise some interesting questions about how such a charge might work, as well as how CaBi might want to consider in terms of general expansion/redistribution priorities.

by Jacques on Jun 7, 2011 11:36 am • link • report