Bus and transient trolley (light rail) fares will be rising sharply across the Valley beginning Wednesday.
Increases are said to reflect Valley Metro’s rising costs amid declining sales-tax revenues. The transit system “must meet a goal of recovering 25 percent of its operating budget through fares,” according to a report in the daily.
The question is, who sets the “goal” and what are the penalties for falling short?
The base fare for local bus and rail service will climb 40 percent, from $1.25 to $1.75; the base fare for express buses will rise 57 percent, from $1.75 to $2.75.
A 40% increase is a considerable chunk of change for public transportation riders.
How much of this does Mayor Phil Gordon’s sister and brother-in-law get to keep?
I rode the light rail when it fist began running, since I was curious about the system and if it was feasible to use to sporting events downtown and in Tempe. I parked near the Central and Camelback rail station. Riding out to Tempe wasn’t bad. The return trip was horrible, with smelly drunks and unsavory people in the majority. I can tolerate a lot, but this was awful. I read recently that someone had spread human feces inside one of the passenger cars. That tells you a lot about a number of the riders.
Wow, it’s almost up to the price for a gallon of gas!
You must be kidding about “penalties.” Hell, there is no penalty for riding ticketless, 40% increase in price or not. I’ve ridden the lite rail exactly twice, out to a game and back. Never again. But there was NO ONE checking tickets. It was a pure and simple honor system, and with the caliber of riders I was exposed to, I would have to conclude honor is a rare commodity.
So they are admitting that they planned all along to let 75% (for those of you in Rio Linda, that’s 75 cents out of every dollar) be paid for by taxpayers……NOT the folks who actually ride the thing……
Right, Lyle, so what are the real numbers the tax payer is being hit with? When this boondoggle was being sold to us the good guys blew the whistle on the actual costs to us tax payers, something like $10 a round trip, I believe.