MARTA: Cut Service Or Raise Fares?? (Dallas: transfer to, subsidized, income)

[KevK]

It just looks worse and worse for MARTA. Obviously the state is not a position to help them nor is any other government. So we are going to have fare hikes or service cuts and probably both. What do you want to see happen?

[onemanarmy]

I ride Marta everyday and I'm not sure how I feel about this. Cutting services primarily means cutting bus routes, primarily affecting the lower income riders. On the other hand, raising fares directly affects the same ridership. Does Marta receive any fare from the GRTA buses who transfer to Marta rail, if not there is a place to receive revenue. I don't see how they can transfer on MARTA from the exburbs and not pay the penny tax. All parking from riders outside of Fulton and Dekalb pay an addtional 10 dollars per month to park or ride, I don't know I'm brainstorming. Please don't hate my ideas until you have left your own ideas up for review.

[KevK]

Originally Posted by onemanarmy

I ride Marta everyday and I'm not sure how I feel about this. Cutting services primarily means cutting bus routes, primarily affecting the lower income riders. On the other hand, raising fares directly affects the same ridership. Does Marta receive any fare from the GRTA buses who transfer to Marta rail, if not there is a place to receive revenue. I don't see how they can transfer on MARTA from the exburbs and not pay the penny tax. All parking from riders outside of Fulton and Dekalb pay an addtional 10 dollars per month to park or ride, I don't know I'm brainstorming. Please don't hate my ideas until you have left your own ideas up for review.

I don't know how MARTA and the suburban bus services divide up fares. Maybe one gets the fare going one way and they other gets it going back. My kids have always used CCT to MARTA and I do know it is one fare.

[Sandy Springs Rep.]

Other - demand funding from the state. Not having mass transit for 5 million people funded by the state is absolutely absurd.

Originally Posted by KevK

It just looks worse and worse for MARTA. Obviously the state is not a position to help them nor is any other government.

Why not?

[PeteyNice]

A fare increase is reasonable.

Base fares:

New York: $2 but the MTA wants to raise it
Chicago $2.25 and they charge $0.25 for the first transfer
Dallas: $2.50

Other cities are cheaper but they are subsidized by their states. With the lack of support MARTA gets I am surprised fares are not higher already.

Cutting service would be killer. Especially train service as that is a good tourist inducement.

Charging non-Fulton/DeKalb people more for parking is an excellent idea. It will never happen since the suburban counties control MARTA's board.

[atlantagreg30127]

Well, some of the choices in the poll aren't very practical. I'm not aware of any transit system that doesn't run on Saturdays or after 7pm.

That being said, MARTA needs to switch to a zone fare system, where you pay based on distance traveled. The new Breeze Card tap gate thingies they're using now are actually made to handle this type of system, so you can tap the card as you exit as well as enter. Since a ton of suburbanites ride the trains in during the AM hours, a zone system would put them at about $3.00 or so each way, in line with systems like BART (San Fran), etc. Those only riding a stop or two would pay less than the current fares, etc.

The State would have to start contributing money. The Feds some more money, and the MARTA board would have to have several replacements and be streamlined and redone as it's not run very efficiently.

[JPD]

Originally Posted by atlantagreg30127

Well, some of the choices in the poll aren't very practical. I'm not aware of any transit system that doesn't run on Saturdays or after 7pm.

That being said, MARTA needs to switch to a zone fare system, where you pay based on distance traveled. The new Breeze Card tap gate thingies they're using now are actually made to handle this type of system, so you can tap the card as you exit as well as enter. Since a ton of suburbanites ride the trains in during the AM hours, a zone system would put them at about $3.00 or so each way, in line with systems like BART (San Fran), etc. Those only riding a stop or two would pay less than the current fares, etc.

The State would have to start contributing money. The Feds some more money, and the MARTA board would have to have several replacements and be streamlined and redone as it's not run very efficiently.

+1. A system like this would also help eliminate the bums who "live" on the trains.

[gt6974a]

Marta corp. sucks, I'd like to se their asses in front of the supreme court justifying a bail out. At the same time, I'd like to see those jack ass senators explain their defiicit while they rail CEO's.

All in all, it sucks for MARTA, just proves my point why I don't want Cobb Tax Payers being liable, CCT seems to be OK.

[blondandfun]

MARTA will never go away. It's not a business. It's a federally granted project. Hell even paying for the electricity to run the thing is probably more than what rider fees are.

[south-to-west]

Originally Posted by gt6974a

Marta corp. sucks, I'd like to se their asses in front of the supreme court justifying a bail out. At the same time, I'd like to see those jack ass senators explain their defiicit while they rail CEO's.

All in all, it sucks for MARTA, just proves my point why I don't want Cobb Tax Payers being liable, CCT seems to be OK.

Actually MARTA works exceptionally well considering the circumstances under which it has to operate. The state mandates how MARTA spends its money (50% capital, 50% M&O) while not funding it at all. Its tax base comes from only two counties, while it attracts passengers from the rest of the 18 metro counties who park their cars at satellite stations and ride the train into the city. Despite all of this, they have one of the highest levels of ridership in the country.

The problem is that many in the region turn their back on MARTA which is practically insane. For one, people ought to appreciate the fact that we have a heavy rail system (something that most most cities don't have). And last but no least, having duplicate bus systems in surrounding counties is a gross waste of taxpayer money given the high cost in duplicating services rather than having them administered by one regional body.