Uber is representative of how efficient private transportation is. Public transit is indicative of how inefficient government transportation is. But, since the state holds the power, it can tax the competent businesses to finance their own incompetent endeavors.
This week, the D.C. City Council raised the city’s levy on ride-sharing services, like Uber and Lyft, from one percent to six percent, a 500 percent hike. This will add about 50 cents to a $10 ride, notes Reason.
It was originally proposed to be 4.75 percent, but a luddite by the name of Jack Evans convinced others to boost the figure because it’s “very exciting.”
Revenues from the tax will go towards the Metro system, a fledgling transit system that is just crumbling: service is declining, fires continually break out, and repairs are constantly needed.
From the libertarian publication:
Weekday ridership on the Metro rail system averaged 598,000 for Fiscal Year 2018. That’s below the 612,000 weekday trips it was averaging in May 2017, which is lower still than the 639,000 trips it averaged in May 2016, just before Metro began a series of repairs that saw stations shut downs for months at a time. Currently the system services the same number of people it did in 2000, back when the D.C. metro-area had about 1.5 million fewer residents.
Despite the repairs, maintenance issues continue to plague the system. Track fires continue unabated, as do months-long station shutdowns. Metro has had its fair share of recent scandals too.
In April it was revealed that 1,700 concrete panels installed on the system’s under-construction Silver Line were defective. In May, a report from Metro’s inspector general found that inspectors at its Rhode Island Avenue station had copied text verbatim from previous years’ structural integrity inspections into their reports and failed to inspect hard-to-reach portions of the station. (The Rhode Island stop is being closed for over a month for repairs this summer.)
Michael Bekesha, a candidate running for city council, called the legislation “lazy and uninspired.”
This is extremely disappointing. This is lazy & uninspired legislating. The Council should have adopted tiered pricing for solo v pool rides & shouldn’t have raised tax on rides originating when public transit is unavailable. Why are we punishing our workers who don’t work 9-5? https://t.co/kQZh4cEVX8
— Michael Bekesha (@Bekesha2018) June 26, 2018
(How about zero government adoption?)
Is this really surprising, though?
Politicians are notorious for being lazy and uninspiring.
Leave a Comment