Mini bus system and cost.

About 5 days ago I mentioned the idea of scheduled mini-bus system on La Gonave.  The importance of having such a system, and the benefits of this type of project are listed on that blog.

One major thing to consider is the costs of the system.  While the buses can range from $20 - $40,000 per bus, the biggest issues are not the cost of the bus.  Road construction, stops, and maintenance buildings are the biggest issues.  In the post I made 5 days ago I mentioned the route could start from the public wharf or the airport.  While the wharf has some pavement, this is also very limited, but could prove to be a better starting point for the mini bus system.  The mini bus system would be an inner city system, but again, the infrastructure must be there.  How do you pay for all of this to get the system started.

One idea, which maybe controversial, would be a tax on ferry and boat landings to and from the island of La Gonave per passenger.  While this will be a very small tax, it would go into building up the roads in the city of Anse-a-Galets.  The cheapest way to build a road system would be pavers.  Instead of a concrete road, you don't need large amounts of special equipment.  Also any broken pavers can easily be fixed.  With paving with concrete, you would need to use rebar, while pavers wouldn't need this.  Yes rebar is cheap, but if the same thing can be created with a more financially better alternative, then this is what should be strongly considered.  Also a set fee should be charged for vehicles that are brought over to the island or leaving the island.

This tax would literally allow for many things to happen.  Not only will it create jobs such as construction, but also could be the start of a port authority.  This port authority could then have the ability to build the road system, and then help user a transit authority either as a different entity or within the port authority.  This allows La Gonave to independently afford to build roads that will help with water runoff and muddy streets.

I will list an idea of how to build such a system.

Phase 1

A Port Authority established with a few employees.  Best way to start this is to get many of the local not-for-profits to hold a fundraising event that will fund the employees pay for the first year.  I would suggest having at least 5 employees.  Their job is to enforce the tax and make sure that each operator accounts for the per head tax.  I think the island should notify the Haitian government that this is a solid way to fund roads on the island.  The first year (Phase 1), should be mainly for collecting the tax and establishing the authority.  A financial benchmark should be set to decide when a transit entity is establish.

Phase 2

Port Authority should expand and create a landing fee at the dirt runway on the island.  The goal for the landing fee at the air strip is to get the funding for eventual paving of the runway.  This is a different tax that will only be used to enhance the airport.  Again the Port Authority should govern the airport and ensure that proper fees are taken per head of people that land at the airport.  Future funding for the airport could come from the boat and ferry fees, as well as fundraising, and crowd funding.  Phase 2 will also be the establishment of the transit department.  This will be a group of local leaders, and engineering students from Haitian Universities that can help in the planning, designing, and building of roads.  The Port Authority will still be in charge of collection a per head tax on each person that comes and leaves the island via boat.  Ideas of where the future maintenance facility and storage yard would be chosen.  Plans for a bus station (central location) would be identified.  This will be a future building where all lines would connect from.  The actual building wouldn't be built during this phase.

Phase 3

Purchasing equipment to build the pavers.  These manual paver equipment is very cost effective.  While it is labor intensive, manual pavers can be purchased for a few hundred dollars, and will produce high quality road grade pavers.  The newly formed transit department would then seek individuals that have some construction knowledge and hire them to build the pavers.  The department will also work the port authority and the city on alignments for the road.  Town hall meetings could be setup discussing the first phase of road construction.   The idea of developing future areas of TOD or transit oriented development would be part of the project. 

Phase 4

Road development would start.  The first part of the road could range from either a half a mile to one mile long.  This would be a bi-directional road that will have posted speed limits, and areas for bus stops.  Due to the small size of the roads, on street parking could be restricted to side streets initially.  The idea of building a gravel parking lot in the area of the road could also be considered to allow locals to park for free in areas that are close to where they park now.  Land will be secured by the city for the future TOD areas along the route, including stops.  This TOD land is very important as it will help fund the transit system, which I will talk about later.

Phase 5

This is the building stage of the future bus line system.  The maintenance facility, bus storage yard, and transit stops would be built in this phase.  Given that these electric buses will use solar energy to charge, they can be left outside in the storage yard.  This lowers the cost of powering the vehicles, but also the size of the maintenance facility would be smaller with a lower price point.  Again a simple concrete block structure would be built that will be supported with solar panels would be setup.  This will allow for the building to have power, but also will help in charging buses that arrive back at the facility at night.

Phase 6

Now on to the cost of the vehicles.  I think that a combination approach is needed.  Some crowd funding, working with the bus builder for a discount, and even doing fundraisers in Miami could help in funding the buses themselves.  Bus operations are low due to solar powering the buses.  Advertising on the buses and transit fares would pay for the salaries of the bus drivers.  As new roads are funded by the tax as well as funding from TOD, large paved roads could then radiate out to other areas and villages. 

Operating the bus system would be yet another agency that would then be the name of the bus system.  This type of system matches a mix of what American cities do, but also how Hong Kong operates its MTR rail system.  The MTR rail system is funded by a combination of people buying stock in the company, the company building housing and retail on top of the rail stations.  The MTR as a result is one of the profitable systems in the world and the fares are very cheap.

I will end the blog here on this idea, as it is already very long.  I will continue to write more about this idea as time goes on. 

Go Gonave!