Figure 6-7: Employment status
In comparing MAX riders to Rte 113, MAX tends to have substantially more full-time employees. These riders would presumably have a higher value of time and therefore place more importance on a quick trip. Table 6-5 shows the gender of riders on MAX, CAT Route 113, the CAT system and Las Vegas.
Table 6-5: Rider gender
|
Response |
MAX |
Rte 113 |
All CAT |
Las Vegas |
|
Female |
45.3 |
44.4 |
46.9 |
52.7 |
|
Male |
54.7 |
55.6 |
53.1 |
47.3 |
|
No answer |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
The gender of MAX riders is similar to that of Rte 113 riders and CAT services in general. MAX, Rte 113 and all CAT services tend to serve more males than the proportion of Las Vegas valley residents.
6.2 Capital Cost Effectiveness
The total capital cost of the project, including vehicles but excluding the bus lane, was $20.1 million. Given 7.5 route miles, the unit cost is $2.7 million per route mile. Excluding vehicle acquisition, the cost is $1.1 million per route mile. This figure is considerably less than the cost of the Orange Line (Los Angeles) exclusive busway, and less than the cost of the Silver Line (Phase I) per mile. However, it is considerably more than the San Pablo Rapid (see Table 6-6).
The vehicle cost amounts to $1.2 million per vehicle, comparable to the articulated dual mode buses used for Boston’s Silver Line phase II, but twice the price of the articulated CNG buses used on the Los Angeles Orange Line.
Table 6-6: Comparison of BRT Project Capital Costs (millions of dollars, unless otherwise indicated)
|
Project Name |
Running way |
Length (Miles) |
Total Vehicle Cost |
Total Infra- structure Cost |
Total Capital (Vehicle + Infra) Cost |
Infra- structure Cost per Mile |
Vehicle Cost per Vehicle |
|
San Pablo Rapid |
mixed traffic |
14 |
4.2 |
3.2 |
7.4 |
0.2 |
0.3 |
|
Las Vegas MAX – Las Vegas Blvd N |
curb bus lane (4.5 mi) |
7.5 |
12.1 |
8.1 |
20.2 |
1.1 |
1.2 |
|
Boston Silver Line Phase I |
curb bus lane (2 mi) |
2.3 |
13.0 |
14.3 |
27.3 |
6.2 |
0.8 |
|
Boston Silver Line Phase II |
busway tunnel (1 mi) |
1 |
42.0 |
566.9 |
608.9 |
566.9 |
1.3 |
|
Los Angeles Orange Line |
busway with at-grade intersections (14 mi) |
14 |
19.0 |
304.0 |
323.0 |
21.7 |
0.6 |