The Chicago CTA is going bankrupt and screaming about closing routes unless it gets “emergency” state funding?
Let’s do some math:
[possible solutions at the bottom]
Income:
my assumptions:
6 hrs / day [Rush hour: 7am - 10am and 3pm - 6pm.]
60 min / 1 hr
1 bus / 10 min
5 buses [In my neighborhood, 5 bus lines 151, 156, 134, 143 & 77.]
40 passengers / bus.
$2 / passenger
6 x 60 / 10 x 5 x 40 x 2 = $14400 / day for 5 buses during rush hour only.
Expense:
Buses:
http://www.suntimes.com/news/695338,CST-NWS-ctaweb13.article
[says 150 buses cost $13.2 million on a 12 month lease.]
my assumptions:
$13,200,000 / year
12 months = 1 year
150 buses / lease
1 month = 30 days
5 buses
$13,200,000 / 12 / 150 / 30 x 5 = $1,222.22 / day for 5 buses.
Gas:
my assumptions:
10 miles / gallon per bus.
10 miles / trip [from my neigbhorhood to loop round trip]
$4 / gallon fuel.
5 buses
6 hrs / day
6 trips / hr
6 x 6 x 5 = 180 trips / day
180 x 10 = 1800 miles / day
1800 / 10 = 180 gallons / day
180 x $4 = $720 / day on fuel for 5 buses.
Drivers:
http://www.careeroverview.com/bus-driver-careers.html
[says In 2002, intercity bus drivers earned a median hourly wage of $14.22.]
So let’s inflate that for 5 years.
From Tom’s Inflation Calculator http://www.halfhill.com/inflation.html
We get $16.55.
my assumptions:
5 buses
1 driver / bus
6 hrs / day
$16.55 / hr
5 x 6 x $16.55 = $496.5 / day
Totals:
my assumptions:
$14400 income / day from passenger sales during rush periods
$1,222.22 expense / day for a lease for 5 buses
$720 expense / day on fuel for 5 buses
$496.5 expense / day on wages for 5 drivers
$14400 - $1222.22 - $720 - $496.50 = $11,961.28 profit!!!
So what would you do with $11,961.28 in one day?
Possible leaks in the CTA:
1. Top CTA employers making too much money
2. Unions
3. City of Chicago Taxes / Corruption*
* Corruption means taking without giving.
my solution:
1. Fire all employees.
2. Hire back drivers, train operators, maintenance under the following conditions:
a. No Unions
b. No Pension
c. Vacation FULLY PAID:
1st Year: no vacation.
2nd Year: 1 week
3rd Year: 2 weeks
4th Year: 3 weeks
5th Year: 4 weeks
6th Year: 5 weeks
7th Year: 6 weeks (max)
d. Wages:
1st Year: Drivers & CTA Operators: $20 / hr. Maintenence: $30 / hr.
2nd Year: Drivers & CTA Operators: $30 / hr. Maintenence: $50 / hr.
3rd Year: Drivers & CTA Operators: $40 / hr. Maintenence: $70 / hr.
4th Year: Drivers & CTA Operators: $50 / hr. Maintenence: $90 / hr.
5th Year: Drivers & CTA Operators: $60 / hr. Maintenence: $100 / hr.
e. Health / Dental / Vision Full Benefits for you and spouse + 2 kids while employed.
f. Percentage of Interest generated from profit:
1st Year: 5%
2nd Year: 10%
3rd Year: 20%
4th Year: 30%
5th Year: 35%
other options:
split the CTA into small private companies, each company owns 1 route of either bus or train.
ride your bike.