Here is some Monday math on the R-Line, Raleigh’s free downtown bus service that launched last winter.
•152,634: The number of passenger trips on the R-Line since Feb. 13, according to Raleigh’s Transportation Department, about 3 percent of the city’s total transit load
•5 million: The number of passenger trips taken in 2009 on Capital Area Transit buses, including the R-Line
•519: The average number of passengers who ride the R-Line daily, including weekends
•$1.13 million: The capital costs of the two 36-seat, hybrid buses
As the Indy reported in June, the federal government picks up 80 percent of the tab. The remaining 20 percent comes out of local coffers.
•$80 an hour: The operating costs of each R-Line bus while it’s running. Local funds pay for all the operating costs: labor, maintenance and fuelthe amount of which is reduced because the buses are hybrids.
•$757,680: The total operating costs of both buses running at 112.75 hours each per week, so far in 2009
•$920,040: The total annual operating costs of both buses running at 112.75 hours each per week, for 51 weeks a year. (This accounts for reduced hours on holidays.)
•$825,000: The annual operating budget for the R Line
•$5-$6: At current ridership levels, cost per passenger trip for the R-Line, for 42 weeks in 2009 and annually
The R-Line runs every 10 to 12 minutes. It runs 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, 7 a.m. to 2:15 a.m. Thursday through Saturday and 1 to 8 p.m. Sunday.
