3 ms·
Even leaving aside the other myriad economic benefits of the subway and the fact that your numbers are off even by the standard of fuzzy back-of-the-math envelo
by Itaxpica 8y ago
Even leaving aside the other myriad economic benefits of the subway and the fact that your numbers are off even by the standard of fuzzy back-of-the-math envelope (you should consider tourists and commuters who live outside of the city but work in the city, which will balloon that number significantly), $5000 a head isn't all that much. At $2.75 a ride (and the price goes up every few years), that's roughly 1,800 rides, which if a rider rides twice a day every day (fairly common for New Yorkers) means that $5000 will be recouped in two and a half years.
- patrickg_zill 8y agoMy math isn't off at all: NYC subway stats, 2016 5,655,755 (weekdays, 2016) 3,202,388 (Saturdays, 2016) 2,555,814 (Sundays, 2016) Stats include ALL riders including tourists and commuters etc. This when NYC population is ~8.5 million in 2016. Note that the $5000/head is just for the additional capital expenses. Your math doesn't cover all the other expenses the subway system would incur, like wages, power, maintenance over the estimated 2.5 year period you mention.