It's nice to see gas prices dropping a bit. It's even nicer to see people in the Valley and elsewhere making changes in their transportation choices. That's the conclusion of our editorial today.
Ridership on the San Joaquins, the Valley's Amtrak line, is way up over last year -- 32% more riders in July than in the same month as year ago.
Another bit of good news: The city of Fresno is moving ahead with plans for "bus rapid transit" line," hoping to have the express buses running in two years or so. We urge the city to accelerate that process.
Gas prices have fallen a bit from their summer peak recently, but the trend is ever higher. As global demand grows, production stagnates, and even declines in some oil-producing countries. That means oil is going to cost more and more in the long run. Our best chance for preserving our standard of living is to reduce our use of oil to fuel our transportation systems.
Thats good news. Up 32% from what percentage of total passenger capacity for the number of runs completed? Are we in the unsubsidized black yet? Will these figures be sustained once oil prices fall and drilling infrastructures are in place? I doubt it. These are folks who would be driving but for the added expense of fuel. So don't raise the price of a ticket too soon!