Also in the news, a Metrobus driver gets a bit too friendly and Metro is finally implementing an idea that's been talked about on this site for ages.

Photo by andertho

Metro's Rose Colored Budget
The numbers are coming in, and the bad news is that Metro's budget chiefs will be viewing their numbers through rose colored glasses this year. We're talking about the kind that makes things look redder, not better. Metro will most likely have to dip into its cash reserves to make ends meet this year. Bus ridership, on the other hand, has met its 2 percent ridership growth target. Ridership and farebox revenue growth have been lower than expected, up only 1 percent as opposed to the 4 percent that was projected. As a result, Metro is looking at a deficit it in its operating budget somewhere between $5 and $10 million.

Not everyone agrees that lower than expected ridership is to blame, however. As the Examiner reported last week, overtime and pension costs at Metro are costing millions of dollars that could be avoided with changes to hiring and scheduling practices. However, the transit workers' union contract gives well-paid senior employees the first shot at all overtime, and includes overtime pay when pension benefits, which are based on earnings, are calculated.

Cost-cutting has been a perennial issue at Metro, and though action has been taken in the past, many think deeper savings can be found. On of John Catoe's first promises as Metro's General Manager was to hire a consultant to take an objective look at Metro's finances. That report is due out on Monday.

In the mean time, hope springs eternal on the other side of the balance sheet. Virginia Rep. Tom Davis' Metro funding bill, which would infuse Metro with $3 billion in federal, state, and local revenues over 10 years, was passed out of the Government Reform Committee yesterday. Not only would the bill fund Metro, it would also mandate the cost cutting. As a result of the Examiner's reporting on overtime, several amendments were attached that might make cost cutting a lot easier for those consultants. The provisions would significantly cut the overtime (and resulting pension benefits) that Metro employees could receive, and force renegotiation.

While Catoe seems to share the goal of reducing unnecessary overtime and associated pension costs, he feels that legislating such changes too rapidly could destabilize Metro's workforce, leaving a shortage of trained operators. Catoe, who has been roundly praised for his success working effectively with unions, has to renegotiate employee contracts next year anyway. As a result, he would rather see the amendments dropped. And as the Examiner's Steve Eldridge points out, if the overtime is dropped, more employees must be hired to do the work. Not only will that increase salary costs, eliminating some of the overtime savings, hiring isn't even possible under Metro's ongoing hiring freeze. Either way, the bill, and the amendments, still faces a long road through the House and Senate. But a key problem with Metro's finances has been clearly identified, though, and it seems that if Metro doesn't fix it Congress will.

Beyond Customer Service
All right. So I know that we've been a huge advocate of improving customer service over at Metro. There is such a thing as too much, however. Apparently, last Wednesday, a bus driver on the Y8 route between Silver Spring and Olney crossed that line.

Metro has fired a bus driver who allegedly refused to let a female passenger off at her stop, drove off his normal route and then hugged her against her will.

Metro is Pro-Information
Every rider knows that Metro is full of little surprises, and no rider likes them. To the extent that they can be minimized, they should. With each passing month, Metro seems to understand a little more that giving passengers lots of information about their trains and buses helps them feel in control of their commute. It let's them plan and adjust their schedules, and keeps them from feeling like they are at the mercy of Metro. Trip planners, news releases, and Metro Alerts are all great ideas. However, one thing that has been sorely lacking is more information in and around the actual stations.

That will change starting Monday, when Metro begins posting information about train arrivals, elevator outages and system delays on LED displays both on the platform and mezzanine levels. Metro General Manager John Catoe in a press release, “Once again, we listened to our customers. They told us they wanted to see train arrival information prior to entering the fare gates.” We give the guy credit for making this relatively simple move, which is long overdue. But John, what took you so long? People have been suggesting this for years!