Should Angels Flight Increase Its Quarter Fare?
Eric Richardson
DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — If you listen closely, you can hear the Angels Flight streetcars talk to each other. Or, you can simply follow them on Twitter. The twin cars, known as Sinai and Olivet, share an account on the social media network, where they frequently boast about movie and television shoots they'll be starring in along with other commentary.
Last Wednesday, the chatter turned to finances as Sinai asked how Angels Flight's thousand visitors a day were working out at 25 cents per trip. Olivet observed, "A lot of riders (and our donors) say that 25 cents is too inexpensive. Revenues cover less than half our expenses."
Sinai suggested, "50 cent fare then?" to which Olivet replied, "'50 Cent?' Isn’t he a singer? Management says it wants to keep the Angels Flight fare at a quarter. The question is 'How?'"
Finances are sound according to John H. Welborne, president of Angels Flight Railway Foundation, the non-profit that oversees operations. Still, he notes, "I'll never say we're not worried about continuing to find additional funding."
Welborne says he hoped Sinai and Olivet's conversation would spur a community dialogue about a possible rate increase and continued ways to ensure the continued operation of the railway.
Welborne's non-profit foundation for "The Shortest Railway in the World" must raise approximately $120,000 per year. "The generosity of the community is impressive and it continues to keep Angels Flight operating sixteen hours every day,” he says, noting that a banner that lists the names of Angels Flight's largest donors will soon be replaced with a permanent plaque.
Additional revenue comes from filming permits, including for recent shoots of television shows "Southland" and "The Bold and the Beautiful," and the upcoming new Muppets movie.
As for a $198,000 grant announced by Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-34) in 2004 for the Angels Flight construction, Welborne says "it made for a nice press release," but that he's never seen the money.
In the meantime, the question remains if the ticket price on Angels Flight should be increased.
Welborne says that the quarter fare continues to be charming to bloggers worldwide. In addition to the publicity, the low cost keeps Angels Flight a lucrative attraction for school groups and a practical means of transportation for senior citizens needing to traverse the hill up to California Plaza. And, he notes, the fare hasn't increased since 1998.
Bert Green (@bgfa) on November 16, 2010, at 11:11AM – #1
I'd gladly pay as much as $1 — it is so cheap now. How about raising the fare but giving a discount to 25¢ for groups of 5 or more?
Guest on November 16, 2010, at 11:16AM – #2
pay what you can afford...but no less than a quarter!
Guest on November 16, 2010, at 11:48AM – #3
I'd also pay more than a quarter. How about if you pay $2.00 you get a souvenir ticket? Also, a donation box would work. I know I'd toss a couple dollars in there every time I ride, which works out to be every three weeks or so.
You could also sell T-shirts or some other souvenirs up top.
David Markland on November 16, 2010, at 11:57AM – #4
Guest 2: You actually do get a really neat, souvenir-ish ticket if you pay $1 for 4 rides.
Guest on November 16, 2010, at 12:20PM – #5
Raise the fare, but keep it a quarter for seniors and the disabled, two groups that might be unable to navigate the stairs.
El Dabe Sherif on November 16, 2010, at 12:35PM – #6
How did you take that photo? What lens did you use? Is that tilt-shift? Photoshop?
DavidAC on November 16, 2010, at 01:11PM – #7
Keep the fare at a quarter, but have a donation box at both ends of the railway.
Also - encourage people to donate directly to the Angels Flight Railway Foundation. Got to the webpage and click on the link under 'Help Angels Flight'.
http://angelsflight.com/
John Welborne is a real L.A. hero for what he's done with Angels Flight and we all need to help him find the budget he needs to keep this treasure running.
Guest on November 16, 2010, at 01:27PM – #8
Call Roybal-Allard for comment. What gives?
Customerservicesm on November 16, 2010, at 02:36PM – #9
DON'T RIDE ON THE DAMN THING IF YOU CANNOT AFFORD MORE THAN A QUARTER! Charge a dollar, it's easier than $.50 and it's ONLY a dollar. It's not a mandatory form of transportation, charging a dollar is very reasonable.
It would be foolish to have a grant fund this. The people that ride it should pay for it. ONE DOLLAR FOR GOD'S SAKE! ONE DOLLAR!
DavidAC on November 16, 2010, at 03:49PM – #10
Its not that I can't afford a dollar - I'd put five dollars a ride in a donation box if I could. Its just that paying a quarter for a ride on a little train is so cool. I love sitting there on the way up clutching my little coin, ready to drop it into the money box at the top. Its part of the experience.
Paying a dollar makes the whole thing more of a soulless financial transaction - the mere buying of transport. The Angel's Flight experience is so much more than that.
Nancy Richardson (@nanorich) on November 16, 2010, at 04:08PM – #11
Let Metro run it...so at least it will be properly maintained, and the fare can be subsidized.
Guest on November 16, 2010, at 05:40PM – #12
I hope they raise the fare to one dollar. That's a good incentive for me to get off my you-know-what and walk up that damn hill.
Guest on November 16, 2010, at 05:44PM – #13
Charge $1 but keep the price at $.25 to locals who show a DTLA card or a local workplace identification.
Josh Gray-Emmer on November 17, 2010, at 06:58AM – #14
What a great idea. We'll contact John and offer our free DTLA Resident Card services. I think 50 cents is a great compromise without taking away the charm. :))
Brady Westwater (@bradywestwater) on November 17, 2010, at 07:29AM – #15
If Metro ran it - the cost of running it would dramatically increase and then fares might really skyrocket. Like most other government agencies, their labor costs are far higher than the private sector's, administrative costs would also be far higher and then when Metro gets hit by the inevitable pension shortfalls, Angels Flight might end up on the chopping block.
As for the need for a fare increase, my questions of John are two. First - is there a daily ridership number that would either support Angels Flight - or considerably bring down the deficit? Second, does the foundation have control of any land under or alongside the tracks that might be leased to vendors to create an additional revenue stream ?- and give an additional reason for people to use Angels Flight
And I'd like to keep the quarter fare - but only if it's prudent - to make using it on a daily basis by office workers and tourists - and the residents of Historic Downtown, many of whom live in subsidized housing, a financially feasible option.
Guest on November 17, 2010, at 07:50AM – #16
I'm not signing up for a "DTLA card". Why would I want my information on a list to be sold?
If businesses want to give discounts to locals, they should just check our CA IDs.
Eric Richardson (@blogdowntown) on November 17, 2010, at 08:20AM – #17
El Dabe Sherif: It is a tilt shift, and it's admittedly an abuse of what the lens should be used for.
architectgal on November 17, 2010, at 08:58AM – #18
Raise the fare a bit, say to 50 cents, but then encourage local businesses to subsidize by purchasing and then giving out chits to customers/employees. Right now, Angel's Flight is the best way to get to the top of the hill from the Pershing Square Station. I think Metro should, rather than operate it, subsidize it because of the accessibility it provides.
Nancy Richardson (@nanorich) on November 17, 2010, at 09:00AM – #19
Jesus Brady,
Do you want to live in a world where all working class people are paid below a living wage...and have no pension to count on after they have been used and spit out?
Is social Darwinism all we can count on these days as former liberals drink the anti union, anti-public sector koolaid?
Scott Mercer on November 17, 2010, at 10:34AM – #20
If they must raise it, 50 cents will go over much better than a dollar.
Increase other revenue streams. More filming fees, photo shoot fees. More merchandising. Angels Flight gift shop, with t-shirts, hats, model train cars, books, calendars, all that stuff.
Get the Orange Empire Railway Museum out in Perris to help out in promotions.
Donation boxes are a really great idea. Or make the fare "One Dollar, suggested donation...25 cent minimum."
J-M on November 17, 2010, at 10:02PM – #21
They should figure out a business model that allows them to operate sustainably. Maybe promote the $1 souvenir ticket more for tourists, raise the price to 50 cents for one-way tickets, and keep the current booklets of 5 tickets at $1. This way everyone's happy and they can keep the line running. I take Angels' Flight quite a lot, so $1 per trip is just stupid. If you're willing to pay that much, buy the souvenir ticket. 50 cents is reasonable, and 20 cents per trip for people who use it a lot (i.e. local residents and office workers) will keep them using the service. If you charge $1 per trip, it will just be tourists and the occasional Downtowner going to Bunker Hill for a change, and then it would end up closing down again.
Guest on November 17, 2010, at 10:05PM – #22
They should start allowing dogs. I'd gladly pay full fare for my pooch.
Guest on November 18, 2010, at 08:22AM – #23
The Angels Flight fare actually has been a quarter since the Railway's reopening on February 24, 1996 (not '98). That reopening took place 34 years after the City forced the previous private operators to turn Angels Flight over to the City under threat of eminent domain (and 27 years after the City closed the Railway in 1969 and then kept most everything in storage for those 27 years). For many decades up to the 1969 closing, the fare was a nickel. If dogs are to be charged, what about cats and hamsters?
Guest on November 18, 2010, at 09:27AM – #24
"If dogs are to be charged, what about cats and hamsters?"
if they are in a cage that's carried, then they should be treated as luggage---no charge. If they are on leashes like most dogs will be, then they should be charged the same as adults.
Guest on November 21, 2010, at 02:17PM – #25
25c=seniors, disabled, students.
Everybody else=50c.