Ok, I didn’t go to the meeting, took this all off the MABAA listserve – here’s a summary of what I learned about the bus fares that will be going up. (Yeah, you thought that issue was dead, didn’t you – and just about everyone else!)
Reminder: The Transit and Parking Commission has sole authority to make these decisions unless someone appeals it to the Common Council.
Here’s the initial information from Lisa Subeck (thank you Lisa!):
I didn’t see this reported anywhere, so I suspect some of you may not know about it. Last night, the Transit and Parking Commission voted to increase fares for certain fare classes. Specifically, increases were approved for the 31 day pass, the Senior 31-day pass, and the Commuter Card.
I left my notes in the car so I am writing from memory, but I believe the increase amounts were:
31 Day Pass – increase from $55 to $58
Senior 31 Day Pass – increase from 27.50 to 29
Commuter Card – increase from $1.15 per ride to $1.25 per rideThese fares will go into effect later this year, at a date to be determined (I think it was likely March, but I would need to confirm that). A report will be forwarded to the Council, but these do not require Council approval.
The vote resulted in a tie, broken in favor of the increase by the TPC chair.
Wow! Thanks Lisa! If you hadn’t brought this to people’s attention, who would know? And, for those of you wondering, the TPC chair is Gary Poulson.
The meeting is available on line here if you have time to watch it.
Susan DeVos watched it and had this information to add to the above (thanks Susan DeVos!):
– Discussion of the fare issue starts around 55 or 56 minutes into the meeting.
– It appears that the fare changes will go into effect Feb. 1, not March 1.
– They do not affect cash fares, are less than 12.5% increases although still increases, and were referred to as “adjustments” rather than across-the-board hikes.
– FYI: People on disability are getting a 1.7% increase in their income next year
– The impact on the Commute Card seems unclear to me as Susan Schmitz raised the point that year-long contracts tend to be negotiated in January, BEFORE the fare increase will take place.
– Concern about how this will affect the struggling UW, they just eliminated Route 85 and cut in half Route 81 runs.
Ken Golden explains why the raises were needed:
“to fix some significant operational problems the system is currently experiencing (overcrowding and full buses passing people at stops). These passengers are not being served well. Had we not increased the fares we did, we would have had to consider terminating some service to fix these problems if we chose to fix them at all. Service to Owl creek is also part of this choice.”
He also goes on to explain:
“I had no idea if the commission would raise fares prior to the meeting and was myself not willing to raise any fares if the council members of the commission advised us that this was a bad idea. While none of the members present could speak for the rest of the council, we were told the council was aware that the money increase we got in the budget amendment was not enough for all requested service additions. While the council might have some concerns, the magnitude of the change would probably not be enough to think we had thwarted their will (my words). We got no advice to not do this before the vote. Lisa did raise some concerns about notice etc afterwards but we were at a legally noticed meeting where fares were on the agenda for action.”
This is the official explanation of what happened – from TPC Officers and Metro staff:
At our meeting last night, the Transit and Parking Commission (TPC) voted to support targeted fare category increases to be effective in February 2013 to generate revenues [about $60-65,000] that will allow Metro to address some of the chronic scheduling and overcrowding issues that the system has been experiencing. The increases are as follows:
· 31-Day Adult Pass – increase from $55 to $58
· Senior/Disabled 31-Day Pass – increase from $27.50 to $29
· Commute Card – increase from $1.15 per ride to $1.25 per ride
· Paratransit fare – This is not an increase but a simplified fare system reflecting a weighted average between the old fares of $4 for a ride during peak hours or $3 for a ride during non-peak hours. The new one fare system is a $3.25 fare during all hours.
The original executive budget included $218,000 for service expansions. These planned service fixes were to address several issues.
· Chronic overcrowding on the University Avenue corridor
· Chronic scheduling issues between the South Transfer Point and West Transfer Point
· Adding service for the Owl Creek neighborhood
The approved budget included no fare increase and $150,000 for service expansions with a focus on Owl Creek.”
The 60K when added to the 150K give to the council allows Metro to fix the parts of the system that are broken, add service to Owl creek without reducing anyone Else’s service. I voted for this and would again. I think we did the correct thing.
That’s some pretty sloppy reporting on my part – you’ll see why in the next week or two, I just have no time at the moment . . . but its better than nothing! Thanks to Lisa Subeck, Susan DeVos and Ken Golden for listserve discussions on this matter and for bringing it to (at least some us) our attention.
