Gas prices, right? Wrong! Here’s what increased bus fares would pay for:
1. Fifty thousand dollars for reestablishment of the popular “Route 10” service from the near East Side to the UW and an additional $100,000 for additional service expansion, as determined by the Transit and Parking Commission.
2. The addition of a Transit Marketing Specialist to enhance Metro’s marketing resources, in particular to help market pass programs for large and small businesses.
3. One hundred thousand dollars to provide additional security at transfer points. While the Madison Police Department maintains a regular presence at the transfer stations, some additional security is needed to help ensure safety during certain times at the transfer stations. A plan for security improvements will be developed by a work group consisting of staff from the Mayor’s Office, Madison Police Department, Metro Transit, and the Madison Metropolitan School District.
4. A doubling of funding for Transit for Jobs or similar programs from the current $40,000 to $80,000 to help provide access to Metro for low-income riders.
5. The creation of a reserve fund, budgeted at $235,000, to help Metro rebuild its now exhausted reserves and to help cushion its budget against future fuel price fluctuations.
6. The remaining revenues will go to defray fuel and other costs.
Hmmmmm . . . I feel like this was a bait and switch. People understand fuel prices going up, but the fact of the matter is that we locked in with diesel prices under $3.50. But the Mayor is saying that they are going to be over $4. If you were thinking raising fares made sense, stop and think about it, the reasons for doing so don’t quite add up.
