Captain_Nemo
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Feb 28, 2000
First of all the word "Light" in Light rail refers to capacity, not price. The Monorail is very efficient for moving large numbers of guest for moderately long distances. A light rail system would be intended for a moderate number of guest traveling shorter distances.
I don't think the Monorail was ever expected to be a big money maker any more than other pieces of the WDW infrastructure. I think Disney's original plan assumed one huge parking lot would be cheaper to maintain than several smaller lots, so they needed a mass transit system to make the concept work. Since then someone ran the numbers and realized that busses and drivers are cheaper and more flexible than a fixed rail system (the roads have already been built so they don't count).
All that being said, the least they could do is switch to busses that run on propane, or natural gas, or even dare I say it electricity!
By the way, the DL monorail used to require an E-ticket to ride. So there was a fee to "use" it once upon a time.
Captain Nemo
I don't think the Monorail was ever expected to be a big money maker any more than other pieces of the WDW infrastructure. I think Disney's original plan assumed one huge parking lot would be cheaper to maintain than several smaller lots, so they needed a mass transit system to make the concept work. Since then someone ran the numbers and realized that busses and drivers are cheaper and more flexible than a fixed rail system (the roads have already been built so they don't count).
All that being said, the least they could do is switch to busses that run on propane, or natural gas, or even dare I say it electricity!
By the way, the DL monorail used to require an E-ticket to ride. So there was a fee to "use" it once upon a time.
Captain Nemo