UNIVERSITY CITY, Mo. — Hampered by cold weather and a shortened schedule, the Loop Trolley is generating roughly one-fourth of the fare revenue officials previously estimated it would need.
In four months of operation, the 2.2-mile streetcar system sold 4,259 tickets, generating fare revenue of $8,148, according to figures the Loop Trolley Co. provided.
The Loop Trolley Co.'s executive director, Kevin Barbeau, said earlier this month that ridership has been "certainly lower than we'd hoped for," but the exact figures weren't disclosed then.
Barbeau has declined to say how much the trolley needs from fares, which cost $2 for two hours and $5 for a day. But trolley officials in 2016 estimated the system, which cost more than $51 million to build, would have a budget of at least $1.64 million in the shortened year of 2017, with $100,000 needed from fares, or some $8,333 in revenue a month. Estimates from 2017had the revenue from fares growing to $482,256 in 2018 and $428,672 in 2019.
The Trolley Co., a nonprofit that runs the system, pointed out in a letter Tuesday disclosing the ticket figures that the trolley has been running just three days a week. "We anticipate ridership will be robust as the weather improves, and especially after we launch full seven-day service after our third car is tested and certified later this spring," said the letter, written by Barbeau and addressed to University City resident Tom Sullivan.
The ticket figures include purchases from Nov. 16 through Sunday, made using the trolley's ticket vending machines and its new mobile app. The line runs from the University City Library to the Missouri History Museum.
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