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The little birdies of Angels Flight have been tweeting about the financial future of LA's 109-year-old Bunker Hill funicular. The 25-cent question is whether 25-cents is too little a fee for ferrying passengers.
A Twitter exchange between railway cars is, "staged to keep tourists and commuters abreast of events at 'the smallest railway in the world,'" says the LA Times, but they're also getting input on how much riders are willing to pay for the, "one-way 298-foot trip."
According to the LA Times, current revenues cover approximately half of the annual $300,000 operating expenses, and although management wants to keep Angels Flight fare at a quarter, they are looking for ways to fill in the rest.
The balance of operating costs, "is patched together from occasional film and television shoots, licensing agreements and, most of all, donations," according to John Welborne, president of Angels Flight Railway Foundation.
Local riders commuting up and down the hill make up about 55% of the 1,000 or so passengers who ride each day, reports the LA Times. Welborne is looking to conduct a rider survey before the end of the year.
