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The article states that the main draw of this bus is it caries a large number of passengers, yet is cheaper than a train. But is it much cheaper than buying 3

by derekp7 14y ago

The article states that the main draw of this bus is it caries a large number of passengers, yet is cheaper than a train. But is it much cheaper than buying 3 regular size buses? Other than the cost of two additional drivers, that is?

tokenadult 14y ago
Other than the cost of two additional drivers, that is? I can't speak for the situation in Germany, but in several cities of the United States (I live in one of them), the salaries of bus drivers are ASTOUNDING, and their total compensation packages are a big part of the expense of providing public transportation. So, yes, if you think public transportation provides important externalities to a whole community, and you also are not interested in trying to hire new bus drivers who will work for less than the current contract rate negotiated with the bus driver union, then what you try to do is find a way for one bus driver to serve more riders.
- bunderbunder 14y ago
  I wouldn't say astounding; at least not in all capitals. In Chicago, which has some of the highest-paid drivers in the nation, bus drivers make about $60k plus benefits. In the USA, that's right on the nose for a white male with some higher education under his belt. It's mainly an outlier if considered along with certain demographic elephants in the room.
  - dalke 14y ago
    BLS says the average yearly salary for "Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity" in "Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, IL-IN-WI" is $41,040. For "Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, IL Metropolitan Division" it's $41,320. (See http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_16974.htm http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_16974.htm for the latter.) Two years ago I see that "At $28.64 an hour, the top wage rate for Chicago Transit Authority bus drivers ranks third-highest among U.S. transit agencies, according to an analysis conducted for the Tribune." BLS reports the median and mean are $21.06 and $19.87, respectively. This means the highest paid bus driver in Chicago makes $56,200 per year. Plus benefits, of course. It's definitely the outlier wage.
    - bunderbunder 14y ago
      Yup, I'm working off the same $28.64 number as you. I fudged the numbers so I could do them in my head, and didn't realize that's the highest-paid driver. Thanks for the correction.
- dalke 14y ago
  The BLS at http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes533021.htm http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes533021.htm says the mean annual wage for a bus driver is $37,440 and the 90 percentile is $57,410. The mean annual wage for Spokane is $54,040, Olympia is $52,510, greater NYC is $49,050, Santa Barbara is $48,350, San Francisco is $47,280, and so on. Those don't sound so extravagant. The annual mean wage for all occupations in NYC is $56,210, so the NYC bus driver is making below average for the city. The industry category 'Transportation and Material Moving Occupations' average is $37,840/year, in part because 1/4 of the people in that category are 'Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand' ($29,410/year). Similarly, for San Francisco the overall average salary is $61,370, and the industry sector average is $40,320. I don't see those numbers as being ASTOUNDING. What do you think they should be making?
snogglethorpe 14y ago
As the other comment mentions, staffing is a significant cost in many systems, especially those with lower ridership numbers (though presumably if this city needs such a large bus, it's not really in that category). Of course, as large as this bus is, it's still nowhere near the capacity of many trains. Commuter trains in places like Japan can carry upwards of 3,000 people on a single train (and of course then there's India...). When you really need capacity, the costs of the dedicated infrastructure for trains start to become worth it.

by derekp7 14y ago

tokenadult 14y ago

Other than the cost of two additional drivers, that is? I can't speak for the situation in Germany, but in several cities of the United States (I live in one of them), the salaries of bus drivers are ASTOUNDING, and their total compensation packages are a big part of the expense of providing public transportation. So, yes, if you think public transportation provides important externalities to a whole community, and you also are not interested in trying to hire new bus drivers who will work for less than the current contract rate negotiated with the bus driver union, then what you try to do is find a way for one bus driver to serve more riders.

bunderbunder 14y ago
I wouldn't say astounding; at least not in all capitals. In Chicago, which has some of the highest-paid drivers in the nation, bus drivers make about $60k plus benefits. In the USA, that's right on the nose for a white male with some higher education under his belt. It's mainly an outlier if considered along with certain demographic elephants in the room.
- dalke 14y ago
  BLS says the average yearly salary for "Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity" in "Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, IL-IN-WI" is $41,040. For "Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, IL Metropolitan Division" it's $41,320. (See http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_16974.htm http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_16974.htm for the latter.) Two years ago I see that "At $28.64 an hour, the top wage rate for Chicago Transit Authority bus drivers ranks third-highest among U.S. transit agencies, according to an analysis conducted for the Tribune." BLS reports the median and mean are $21.06 and $19.87, respectively. This means the highest paid bus driver in Chicago makes $56,200 per year. Plus benefits, of course. It's definitely the outlier wage.
  - bunderbunder 14y ago
    Yup, I'm working off the same $28.64 number as you. I fudged the numbers so I could do them in my head, and didn't realize that's the highest-paid driver. Thanks for the correction.
dalke 14y ago
The BLS at http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes533021.htm http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes533021.htm says the mean annual wage for a bus driver is $37,440 and the 90 percentile is $57,410. The mean annual wage for Spokane is $54,040, Olympia is $52,510, greater NYC is $49,050, Santa Barbara is $48,350, San Francisco is $47,280, and so on. Those don't sound so extravagant. The annual mean wage for all occupations in NYC is $56,210, so the NYC bus driver is making below average for the city. The industry category 'Transportation and Material Moving Occupations' average is $37,840/year, in part because 1/4 of the people in that category are 'Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand' ($29,410/year). Similarly, for San Francisco the overall average salary is $61,370, and the industry sector average is $40,320. I don't see those numbers as being ASTOUNDING. What do you think they should be making?

snogglethorpe 14y ago

As the other comment mentions, staffing is a significant cost in many systems, especially those with lower ridership numbers (though presumably if this city needs such a large bus, it's not really in that category). Of course, as large as this bus is, it's still nowhere near the capacity of many trains. Commuter trains in places like Japan can carry upwards of 3,000 people on a single train (and of course then there's India...). When you really need capacity, the costs of the dedicated infrastructure for trains start to become worth it.