ABC-7 Special Report: Brio: Boon or bust?

light rail transit system on wheels — now that the brio is up and running from the westside to downtown. at a cost of 27- million dollars — abc-seven wanted to see how the brio investment is working out. stephanie valle has this abc-7 special report: pkg talking to those waiting for the sleek buses along the mesa corridor — abc-7 found plenty of frequent riders — “i use it everyday. “everyday.” and they’re ready with similar compliments. “i would say it’s practical and fast.” “it’s a lot faster than most of the other buses.” “it’s a fast bus. sun metro says its popularity is reflected in the number of people boarding the brio. numbers supplied by sun metro to abc-7 show — the number of people using the brio monthly has grown steadily — from more than 60- thousand in its first full month of operation in november — to nearly 66-thousand in may. spiking in april with just shy of 81-thousand riders. “it’s better than we initiall projected. we projected around 3,000 a day and it’s more than that.” the brio runs monday through saturday. sun metro tracks ridership daily — but depends on that monthly outlook for a true reflection of its performance. it may be hard for some to believe that the brio exceeds expectations. our camera crews found many quiet buses — even during times sun metro determined were peak usage hours. “in the mornings, people ar going out, so if you go to the downtown transit center and work your way from downtown going out, you’ll see a lot more activity.” abc-7 wanted to see firsthand how the camera crews found many quiet buses — even during times sun metro determined were peak usage hours. “in the mornings, people ar going out, so if you go to the downtown transit center and work your way from downtown going out, you’ll see a lot more activity.” abc-7 wanted to see firsthand how the brio works — so one of our interns boarded the bus from the downtown transfer center during that morning rush. 2.01 the stops have been quick also, a minute, two minutes max. 2.05 cande duran said at one point, there was a peak of about a dozen people on board her bus. it took 35 minutes to travel the 8-and-a- half miles to the westside transfer center on remcon near north mesa. 6.02 i really liked it. it was pretty fast and convenient. it went by really quickly. i didn’t even notice how quickly the time went by. 6.11 the brio has generated a little short of 300- thousand dollars in revenue since it started running, until mid-june. compare that to the cost to operate the brio during the same time frame — nearly 950-thousand dollars. sun metro director jay banasiak says — who’s headed the city’s transit service for six years — says that’s to be expected. “this is how most transit systems operate. they operate with a fare box-to- revenue recovery ratio anywhere from 20 to 30 percent. that’s the norm for systems.” “if we get 25 to 30 percent that’s really good based on our system and all the systems around the country.” “sun metro officials say they never intended the brio to be a revenue generator for the city, but rather, a mobility-enhancing traffic- reducing service for the community.” a service that will expand to — and connect with — the rest of the city — once brio service is added to alameda and dyer in 2017, and montana in 2018. ‘”it’s going to be a grea system. you can go from the west side to the airport in 40, 45 minutes.” for now, though — el pasoans will have to be like these riders — and exercise patience. sv, abc-7. and get this — sun metro said the brio’s priority signalization is working. it will hold the green light longer when a brio bus is near the intersection. what