The BAT asking for more money, and doing it by taxes was inevitable from the day they began.

And an ignominious defeat is almost certain. Any measure from the city right now is going to face scrutiny after the the horrible mishandling of....well, just about everything. And that was when (because?) times were good. A tax measure right now doesn't have a chance in hell.

When the tax payers have a choice of paying police and firemen or rewarding more money to a manifestly mismanaged boondoogle, there ain't much doubt which way they'll go. Driving to work over mangled roadways, to pay higher prices for groceries and gas, and then looking at mostly empty buses waiting for the occasional waif to wander by?

Anyway, that's my impression.

Before I weigh in on whether I'm personally for or against such a measure, I'd like to see an independent analysis of the ridership and cost per passenger. The last time I crunched the numbers, I concluded they'd be better off hiring taxi's for each rider, and dropping the huge infrastructure.

I just have my doubts Bend will ever support a true BAT.

And no, this isn't a suggestion that they hire yet another consultant. It shouldn't be too hard to find someone who can look over the balance sheets.

I'd especially like to know how our ridership per capita compares to other towns, and the how the cost per rider mile compares.

Hey, Bulletin or Source or Bend Living. Think you can do that?