Let Cap Metro know that Austin's taxpayers & voters want 24 hour bus service to more parts of the city.
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Dear Capital Metro: Austin’s downtown entertainment district grows every year - so does Austin’s reputation as a global destination for food, live entertainment, and nightlife. Millions of people come to downtown Austin to patronize the restaurants, bars, nightclubs, venues, and hotels, and the money they are spending is the fuel that drives Austin’s thriving economy. The engine of that economy is the work force that supports and serves this growing nightlife: our service industry, graveyard workers, 24 hour call center staff, overnight stockers and janitorial staff, among others. All of these people - patrons, tourists, and workers - need a safe, reliable way to get home, get back to their hotels, and get back and forth to work. However, our city’s leaders have failed to acknowledge the transportation needs of this largely underserved culture that brings billions in revenue into Austin every year. These numbers continue to grow annually, but our transit systems largely remain the same, with the majority of service stopping by 11pm on weekdays and midnight on Saturdays. A recent study by the American Public Transportation Association concluded that overall, investment in public transportation offers an economic return of $4 for every $1 invested. [1] Studies like this and Houston’s recently announced plans to overhaul their mass transit system - which adds 24 hour service with no additional costs [2] - prove that, despite conventional thinking, change to our transit system is not only possible but economically viable. Smarter usage of public transit won’t just affect our city’s economy, it will affect our environment as well. In order to achieve this city’s stated goal of being carbon neutral by 2020 [3] we must begin reducing usage of single passenger cars; this can be achieved by providing reliable and consistent 24 hour bus service, along with public campaigns encouraging awareness and usage of that service. There is also the subject of public safety to consider. Austin has hundreds of destinations that serve alcohol; people patronizing those bars, restaurants and venues need ways to get home that don’t involve getting behind the wheel. ATX Safer Streets’ recent survey of 651 Austinites found that 94% of respondents said they would use public transportation if it ran later and ran in their neighborhood. This budget season, I ask the Board to consider Austin’s nightlife, our economy, our safety. I am asking for Capital Metro to grow with Austin and expand its nighttime service. Sincerely, [1] http://fleetowner.com/blog/calculating-value-public-transit [2] http://www.citylab.com/commute/2014/05/houstons-plan-get-amazing-new-bus-system-no-new-money/9078/] [3] http://www.austintexas.gov/blog/getting-carbon-neutral
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