So I’m standing at my Metro station last week, waiting for the train. It’s rush hour, it’s cold and the platform is crowded with everyone else who has one thing on his or her mind-get a window seat so that you can prop up your elbow and catch a few more winks before you get to the office.
While Washington-area boarding procedures have not yet matched those of Japan, etiquette does lapse when the door opens, and chivalry definitely is dead.
That’s when I started thinking about FCC chairman Reed Hundt’s stance on auctioning-those who value the channels will pay the most. So how’s this-Why not auction other things of importance to businesspeople, like desirable Metro seats? There are plenty of them; everyone fights for the good ones; and most riders use them every day at about the same time, going and coming.
Based on the commission’s past bidding rules, I’ve come up with a plan, and I think subway riders in every jurisdiction will buy into this (so to speak), not to mention strapped city budget planners who are looking to raise revenues without raising taxes. Metro-seat money could even be applied to public-safety needs or to getting advanced communications into schools, libraries and hospitals.
Here’s how the Wayne Metro-Seat Auction Plan shakes out: First, only window seats will be auctioned; all others will remain unregulated, except for the already-set-aside seats for the elderly and the physically challenged.
Second, window seats facing forward will be designated as A-block seats, and that category also will be split for bidding into two classifications-those having high metal armrests and those having the lower, more comfortable rubber armrests. The B-block will consist of backward-facing seats. Seats will be auctioned for a specific time period (like between 6: 30 a.m. and 7: 30 p.m.) and from a specific Metro stop. Special photo and seat-number identification will be issued to seat winners.
Bidders are eligible to compete for morning and evening seats, although round trips are not required. There would be no special considerations made for women and minorities, and there would be no installment payments; winners also could sell their seat after one year and not be subject to a penalty.
Where the big money will come into play is when those bidders who get on the train several stops from its origination point pay exorbitant prices to get a seat in lieu of their current fate of standing for 30 minutes dangling from a metal ceiling rail.
I’m ready to weigh in for one of those deluxe A-block seats, and I’ve got the financial backing to swing it. Thanks, Tradewinds International. Gotta go. Big meeting with the mayor.
