Posted on 05/14/2015 2:10:50 PM PDT by grundle
Taxpayers lost $833 million over the last decade on the food and beverages supplied by Amtrak, which managed to spend $1.70 for every dollar that received in revenue.
“Over the last ten years, these losses have amounted to a staggering $833.8 million,” said Rep.John Mica, R-Fla., in a statement previewing a House hearing today. “It costs passengers $9.50 to buy a cheeseburger on Amtrak, but the cost to taxpayers is $16.15. Riders pay $2.00 for a Pepsi, but each of these sodas costs the U.S. Treasury $3.40.”
"Amazon.com is currently selling 24-packs of 12 ounce Pepsi cans for $8.94 -- which averages to about 75 cents per can."
Amtrak President Joe Boardman tried encourage House investigators by telling them that last year's losses represent an improvement over previous years. "Our ongoing programs have certainly delivered measurable financial efficiencies," Boardman told Congress in his written testimony today. "In 2006, our food and beverage service recovered 49 percent of their costs. In 2011, these services recovered 59 percent of their costs," he testified.
The food service is legally obligated to break even, but Amtrak lost $84 million just last year. “The rail service’s food and beverage operation has 1,234 employees, and taking into account Amtrak’s $84.5 million loss last year, that’s $68, 476 per employee," Mica said.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonexaminer.com ...
AMTRAK passengers are lucky they don't also come with a good beat down.
A Pepsi Machine in front of the local Walmart costs $.50 for a 12oz Can. That includes the required $.05 Recycle Deposit. The 20oz Plastic Bottles are $1.25 with the same $.05 Recycle Deposit.
Stick a Machine on the Train. Same goes for the Burgers. Just have a Microwave next to the Machine so you can heat them up and some Condiment Pouches.
No Attendant required. They can just pay the current Attendant to sit with the Engineer to make sure he isn’t Texting or Masturbating.
Democrat math.
and who is the supplier of the food..... what congressman
They have pals to pay off with gov. contracts. The gov. is corrupt.
That’s the beauty of Federal government jobs!
If an industry is sick, stop all subsidies and taxes/tariffs. If it survives, good. If it doesn’t survive, good.
All I know is that when I pay $100 extra for first class, I better get my damn free beverage.
toys for rich boys
The northeast corridor actually makes a profit.
$5.00 for one beer!!!!!
That’s what their cheesburgerz are now. Prepackaged same as you find in public transit vending machine....with a warning label that says ‘this product has a half life of 15k years’. /s
All the attendant does is heat it for you in the microwave. Got caught on train last fall for hours do to an fatal accident down the tracks so I bought one. Yuck!
I chuckled at the time because the minority female running the gig actually had a tip box sitting there.
Close to it, anyway, and if it didn’t exist it would have to be replaced.
The question is why is the strategy for the rest of the system so bad. Clearly there’s no reason for a cross country train service. But there are regions where airports are at capacity (Chicago, for one obvious example) where a system of trains running frequently to and from nearby cities could replace a lot of short hop flights. Chicago to Milwaukee Madison Minneapolis Chicago to Springfield and St Louis Chicago to Indianapolis and Louisville. All could compete with air travel on speed and price, especially going forward because the expansion of Chicago’s airports for future market growth is basically a logistical impossibility.
Farm out the food vending to a civilian contractor and see how much gets ‘lost’.
The last (and only time) I was on an Amtrack train. the lunch counter was closed from 12:00 to 1:00 so the server person could go to lunch. I shit you not.
Union rules...........................
Then how did you play it? A Dixie Cup and a sewing needle?.....................
We have a Margaritaville here in Destin that just opened up last summer.
You would think that they would have the best Margarita’s in the world, but no. The one’s my wife and I drank had probably a smidgen of tequila and 99% ice. We never went back, and never will..................
It’s not ‘free’. You paid for it..................................
And that will guarantee it how?............;^)
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