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Old 03-04-2014, 06:50 AM
 
1,024 posts, read 1,507,223 times
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So in New York City there is a flat fare on the subway. No matter how far you travel you pay the same price. Is there a reason Metro cannot do the same? I am so tired of all the fare hikes. I feel like Metro would get so many more riders and make more money if the fares were cheaper. Metro says its for maintenance and operation, however NYC has far more lines with far more maintenance going on and they can still afford a flat price and have 24 hour service. Why can't DC do it?
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Old 03-04-2014, 08:14 AM
 
Location: DC
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Because it isn't fair to those who live close to town.
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Old 03-04-2014, 09:33 AM
 
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If you compare it to New York, coming to downtown from, say Vienna is the equivalent from coming from Long Island. The New York subway does not go out to LI and you have to take commuter rail, which does cost
more and is based on distance. The DC system is a hybrid between a commuter system and an urban subway.
I imagine NYC might charge different fares if they could, but then they would have to incur the huge expense of installing exit gates at every station and revamp their technology. It would be prohibitively expensive.
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Old 03-04-2014, 11:10 AM
 
Location: DC
2,044 posts, read 2,946,388 times
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The one thing they need to end is peak/rush hour pricing. It punishes the people who live in the area and use it for commuting to work. This is a good idea for toll roads, but not public transit systems, which you need to ENCOURAGE USE by commuters. I am okay with the zoned pricing, it shares it with london which has a similar system to dc. But it really should be flat zone pricing, not zone pricing dependent on what time of the day you use it.

I was glad they finally hit the people with paper tickets with an extra charge...that has been needed for some time.
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Old 03-04-2014, 12:34 PM
 
Location: USA
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that paper ticket charge is stupid and charging people
by distance inside the district limits is stupid too. it
should be a flat fare but of course, it is not.
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Old 03-04-2014, 12:37 PM
 
Location: DC
6,848 posts, read 7,954,869 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 11KAP View Post
that paper ticket charge is stupid and charging people
by distance inside the district limits is stupid too. it
should be a flat fare but of course, it is not.
Some people won't behave properly unless you cost them for their behavior. Paper tickets are costly.
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Old 03-04-2014, 12:40 PM
 
Location: USA
8,012 posts, read 11,360,878 times
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^ i respect your opinion, even though I don't agree with it, so there.
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Old 03-04-2014, 01:09 PM
 
458 posts, read 642,622 times
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Everything in D.C. is political, even a simple ticket fare system is infused with politics.
Move out if you don't like it or you can drive to DC and not have to put up with this silly nonsense.
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Old 03-05-2014, 07:58 AM
 
1,024 posts, read 1,507,223 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Niceguy17 View Post
If you compare it to New York, coming to downtown from, say Vienna is the equivalent from coming from Long Island. The New York subway does not go out to LI and you have to take commuter rail, which does cost
more and is based on distance. The DC system is a hybrid between a commuter system and an urban subway.
I imagine NYC might charge different fares if they could, but then they would have to incur the huge expense of installing exit gates at every station and revamp their technology. It would be prohibitively expensive.
Not really. NYC subway goes from the financial district all the way up to Queens and Brooklyn which is probably the same distance as from Downtown to Vienna
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Old 03-05-2014, 10:47 AM
 
1,624 posts, read 4,856,748 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DrSloan View Post
Everything in D.C. is political, even a simple ticket fare system is infused with politics.
Move out if you don't like it or you can drive to DC and not have to put up with this silly nonsense.
This is the answer. In a flat fee system, those that live in the city core subsidize those that live further away. In NYC, that's no big deal because the far away places and the city core are part of the same city and run by the same city government.

Metro, on the otherhand, is three jurisdictions, where the further out areas are more wealthy than many of those that live near the city core. DC would not support extending metrorail deep within VA and MD under a flat fee system. The variable rate allows those that are the furthest and most costly riders pay the most, who also happen to be the folks that derive the greatest benefits of not having to drive, so they are the most likely to be able to born the added cost of the extension.

If VA and MD didn't agree to the variable rate, you'd essentially see a much smaller system that probably would not branch out beyond Silver Spring, Bethesda/Chevy Chase, or Arlington.
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