Ken Braun: Too bad Grand Rapids can't replace rapid transit route with Uber

Ken Braun: Too bad Grand Rapids can't replace rapid transit route with Uber | MLive.com:
"The new Silver Line rapid transit bus running through Grand Rapids has been operating for most of a year and now averages 56,000 rides per month.
The CEO of The Rapid - Grand Rapids' public bus service - is cautiously optimistic, saying "it's a good sign of a new route developing its ridership base so quickly."
Too bad they can't just hire Uber drivers.
The Silver Line is a dedicated lane for buses along a 9.6 mile route.
By excluding cars from the lane, and providing preferential status at traffic lights, the Silver Line claims it can give riders faster trips than individual motorists can achieve along the same route.
This is in part because cars are not permitted on the new bus lane, thus making car lanes more crowded than they otherwise need to be.
The many get more crowded concrete so a tiny few can have the Silver.
The 56,000 rides per month breaks down to less than 1,900 rides per day. 
So the number of individual souls using the Silver Line each day is probably closer to half that many, because most riders must consume two trips on a round trip, and some even more if they make multiple stops along the line.
Let's say there are 1,000 unique riders per day.
The $40 million initial construction cost for the Silver Line works out to two brand new $20,000 automobiles for each of those 1,000 riders. 
Easily in that price range is a new Ford Fiesta with city mileage of 31 mpg..."
Read on!