Perhaps you noticed a cartoon today in the Democrat-Gazette. It poked a little fun at the low ridership of the River Rail streetcar.
Keith Jones, executive director of Central Arkansas Transit, certainly noticed. He sent a letter around to various folks noting the relatively high ridership of the trolley compared with bus routes and noting that the Democrat-Gazette puts newspaper boxes at several stops, which must mean something, right?
His letter is on the jump.
Readers’ thoughts?
UPDATE: The Argenta News blog notes that it has been bulldogging this issue for a good while, most recently yesterday, and calling for months for a monthly pass for trolley users. The Argenta blogger believes the streetcar is more tourist attraction than transit. And another reader wonders about the lack of marketing, pointing to Portland as a city that promotes its rail transit, sells advertising and otherwise seems to be making it work.