It’s like a ping-pong ball with the financial issues. What is this the 3rd time in 15 years?
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Par for the course but services have not declined in past.
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“To plug the hole in 2026 created by the combination of lower ridership in the post-pandemic era, and the end of federal pandemic funding, will take about $230 million”
The lower ridership in the post-pandemic era says it all. I can see that as I pass half filled parking lots at Metra stations.
Rich
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That part is sad though I have often wondered why in some locations they did not put in a parking garage vs a surface lot. I can tell you from experience the RTO initiative is almost exclusively managers within 10-15 years of retirement. Once they are gone we are back to mobile workforce. Younger managers just do not care and even with a RTO workplace they will negotiate remote if they need your skills. They would rather get the work done. Lots of slots open due to retiring baby boomers and the working demographic behind them is so much smaller.
So I wonder what that means longer term for transit. I think they could fill more of those seats with some innovative marketing.
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How would they do they though if everyone is working from home?
Rich
“work from home” progressive policies….
Quite a few companies are mandating more time in office. Workers who won’t comply might be terminated. But on the UP West line at least, parking areas are generally less full, including the parking garage nearby. The open lot at the next stop looks pretty full on weekdays, however.
Not sure if they do this in Chicago but in Dallas they use TRE for sporting events and other events downtown and they have a small promo budget for that. Not every day but it helps. It also would not hurt if Chicago built up the Winter festival and attraction schedule a little more for downtown.
Despite what the media says in a lot of cases it is negotiable. The hiring manager usually states it in the first or second interview if it is open for negotiation. Depends on skillset I guess. With run of the mill skills they will be firm with RTO but with skills in demand, not so much. All you need is a waiver from HR and the hiring manager can usually obtain one with a business case.
Jamie Dimon, JP Morgan chief, who is usually wrong with all his public forecasts. Takes a hardline publicly on RTO but he is hiring remote workers still locally in the Dallas area under wraps and he knows this I am sure. Money talks and principals walk. In my view it is pretty humorous to observe. Though I think Bank of America is an interesting case with job titles, a lot of their IT developers have an AVP title (Assistant Vice President)…lol.
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I follow some urban transit feeds, and the one I get a kick out of are the people that want the work from home to stay, but still want pre-pandemic levels of service from the subways that were designed to ferry people to and from work.
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Don’t worry….managers egos dictate butts shall occupy cubicle chairs…
Managers as a profession have no competence in managing a group of employees that are intellectual by the nature of their jobs. Manager want to see an employee busy taping on a keyboard or hand writing some - but HEAVEN FORBID that the employees use their own minds in the performance of their duties.
There is a synergy to having multiple people within the space of an office to provide thoughts and ideas that would not occur to an individual employee that is working remotely from home - chance encounters, water cooler conversations even rest room communications can all provide information/data to help all employees to accomplish there tasks.
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I’d be worried if my work could be done from home, it could also be done by someone else on the other side of the world at half, or less, of my wages.
Jeff
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A commuter agency having financial issues with the jurisdictions that the agency serves - How Novel! NOT!
The younger managers do not care as a rule. The older managers are rather curmudgeon about it and stuck on other rules and procedures. I think this country will be in better hands once the younger generation takes over. Living and working standards will improve a lot more.
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I wish I were as optimistic as you are.
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The decline in transit ridership appears to be nationwide. Dallas Area Rapid Transit numbers reflect it. Ridership on the light rail system declined from 28.3 million in 2019 to 20.5 million in 2023, which is the latest audited reporting period. Ridership on the commuter rail line (Trinity Railway Express) dropped from 2 million to 1.1 million. Over the same period the population of the service area increased by approximately 900,000.
Whether the changes in demographics and preferences register with decision makers is problematic. In spite of the decline in transit ridership, Austin is pushing ahead with its light rail plan while significant numbers of potential riders are moving out of the city because of the high cost of real estate.
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Millennials yes. I managed them and they’re a good group.
Gen Z I don’t have experience as I retired a few years ago. But I saw a survey in the Financial Times that a majority of Gen Z would prefer a military dictatorship over democracy. If that survey is accurate then all bets over the future are out the window.
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I never managed my staff that way. Hands off. Creativity encouraged. Say when you need assistance. Even when remote under Covid we were on the phone constantly. No emails or text when a phone call can do. Verbal communication allows spontaneity. That’s where innovative ideas bubble up.
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