Michelle Manzo – 3/18/05

This page was last updated on March 19, 2005.

Mass transit is a vital service; Michelle Manzo; Beaver County Times; March 18, 2005.

I’m not sure anyone disputes the fact that mass transit can provide a vital service. The dispute is in whom should pay for it. As with all services, I believe the people who use mass transit should pay for it.

Why do folks like Ms. Manzo consider it selfish to believe people should pay their own way, but it’s not selfish to demand someone else help pay for your transportation?

Below is a detailed critique of the subject letter.

“Responding to Paul Dici’s March 8 letter regarding mass transit:

“Isn’t it nice he lives in his own little world and has time to monitor bus service between Ellwood City and New Castle?”

[RWC] How tacky. This is the same kind of response I received from State Rep. Frank LaGrotta (D-Ellwood City) when I asked him a question on a different topic earlier this year. I suspect Ms. Manzo is upset because she doesn’t want everyone to know about the relatively low ridership on many of our mass transit systems. For what it’s worth, I’ve rarely seen a BCTA bus even half full, including the small buses.

“I work in downtown Pittsburgh and in the real world where thousands of people depend on mass transit to get them to their jobs, doctor’s appointments, college classes, shopping, church and many other daily activities.”

[RWC] Why shouldn’t these patrons pay their own way? I don’t expect mass transit users to pay for my car and its fuel, insurance, maintenance, et cetera. They should not expect me to pay for their bus ride.

“We have many elderly or handicapped people who can no longer drive but still need access to transportation. Owning a car is not an option for them.”

[RWC] Let’s accept this statement for the sake of argument. Does providing transportation for the exceptions require full-blown mass transit systems? I’m willing to bet private businesses and charities would jump in to provide the necessary service at no cost to the taxpayer.

“These people are already paying a substantial amount of money to use transit, although I believe in Mr. Dici’s world there was just one man and he decided since the man was on welfare, he didn’t deserve to use the buses to get groceries.”

[RWC] Anyone who refuses to work – as in the example Mr. Dici provided – doesn’t deserve to have taxpayers pay for his transportation.

“Maybe Mr. Dici is not aware that companies often make decisions on where to locate based on the availability of mass transit. It is not feasible to bring your business to cities not served by reliable transportation.”

[RWC] This is a myth. While it’s true businesses are interested in convenient access to air travel, mass transit availability isn’t a significant factor. If quality mass transit were a major factor, businesses would rarely locate outside of major downtown areas.

“Because Pittsburgh and Philadelphia are outside of his immediate universe, the financial future of these cities probably doesn’t matter to him.”

[RWC] Along with many mass transit supporters, Ms. Manzo attempts to turn this into a rural vs. urban issue. Do urban residents who do not use mass transit believe they should subsidize mass transit users? I don’t know, but I suspect they do not.

“As a former PAT patron, I applaud Ed Gov. Rendell’s all-out effort to save mass transit. It is not a perfect solution, but the alternative would truly be a disaster for a large portion of our state population.”

[RWC] Notice Ms. Manzo didn’t tell us how many people make up “a large portion of our state population.”

“Rather than point fingers at who is to blame for the mass transit situation or look down on those who use mass transit, we must look past what we perceive to affect just our own lives and see the bigger picture.”

[RWC] I don’t look down on mass transit users; I merely believe they should pay the full price for their ride, just as I pay the full price for my car and its upkeep. Remember, that’s how mass transit worked before the government got involved in the 1960s.

“Believe it or not, Mr. Dici, there is a world outside Ellwood City.”

[RWC] And there’s a much bigger world outside Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.