Question

Problems and Applications Q8 Suppose subway ridership in New York City declined by 4.3 percent after a fare increase of 25 cents to $1.50. Using the midpoint method, an estimate of the price elasticity of demand for subway rides is . True or False: According to your estimate, the Transit Authority's revenue rises when the fare increases. True False

Answer 1

Answer:

Price elasticity of demand = Percentage in quantity demanded / Percentage change in price

We already have the percentage change in quantity demanded as -4.3%.

We need to find the percentage change in price using the midpoint method.

= (New price - Old price) ÷ ((New Price + Old price) / 2)

Old price = 1.50 - 0.25 = $1.25

Percentage change in price = (1.50 - 1.25) ÷ ((1.50 + 1.25) / 2)

= 18.18%

Price elasticity of demand = -4.3% / 18.18%

= -0.24

According to your estimate, the Transit Authority's revenue rises when the fare increases. TRUE.

The statement is true because the price elasticity of demand here is Inelastic and when this is the case, revenue rises when the price of the good or service increases.

The price elasticity of demand is inelastic when it is less than 1 which is the case here.