Why not oversell permits so that 400 people per day are able to use the cables?
In 2010, not everyone with a permit used their permit. There were probably various reasons for this, including people deciding in advance not to do the hike but not canceling their permit and people beginning the hike but not being able to reach the cables. However, the number of people who didn’t use their permits on any given day varied widely, with nearly everyone using them on some days and with fewer people using them on other days. Since we believe 400 people per day is the maximum daily number for allowing generally free-flowing conditions on the cables, we don’t want to exceed that number on those days that nearly all permit holders use their permits. However, we have made some changes that we hope will reduce the under-use of permits. First, it is now possible to cancel individual permits (previously, one could only cancel an entire transaction). Additionally, permits may be canceled and permits may be obtained (if available) until midnight the day before the hike.
