Prepare to bend over - Metro board approves fare increase (Washington: for rent, transfer)

[HurricaneDC]

Get There - Metro board agrees to major fare hike

Buses are gonna be $1.50, and they'll have that "peak-of-the-peak" fare. The silver lining I guess is that there will be no service cuts so at least we won't be paying more for less.

I do wish the local governments would fund Metro better, and I also wish Metro would manage its money better.

[KStreetQB]

WMATA press release:

Metro - About Metro - News - Metro Board of Directors moves forward with FY2011 fare adjustments

Metro Board of Directors moves forward with FY2011 fare adjustments

New fares subject to final Board approval on June 24


Metro’s Board of Directors provided guidance to Metro staff today, May 27, to begin to work on a number of fare adjustments in the transit agency’s FY2011 operating budget, subject to final Board approval on June 24. The fare changes are expected to be enacted system wide on June 27. The new fares will generate $108.7 million to help close a $189 million shortfall and build a sound budget for the new fiscal year.

During the public comment period on the budget, the overwhelming majority of riders said that they preferred fare increases instead of service reductions and no service reductions are planned.

Beginning June 27, Metrorail fares will increase 18 percent, with the peak period boarding charge increasing from $1.65 to $1.95. The maximum peak period Metrorail fare will increase from $4.50 to $5 for customers who pay with SmarTrip® and from $4.50 to $5.25 for customers who pay with cash.

A new system of peak-of-the-peak pricing, which will cost Metrorail riders an additional 20 cents for trips that are taken weekdays between 7:30 and 9 a.m. and between 4:30 and 6 p.m., was also green-lighted. The maximum fare during this period for customers who use cash will be $5.45. The surcharge will encourage customers to exercise flexibility when choosing the times they ride the Metrorail system and help alleviate crowding during busy weekday rush hours.

Peak-of-the-peak pricing will be implemented on August 1 to allow Metro staff additional time to make the necessary computerized fare collection changes.

Metrorail pass prices will increase 15 percent. But even with its new cost, a pass can quickly begin saving customers money. For example, if a customer commutes each weekday from Shady Grove to Metro Center Metrorail station, the cost for 10 trips would be $54.50 paying the regular fare with cash. But with a 7-Day Fast Pass, the cost would be only $46.50 and any trips beyond that would be free.

Metro will continue to provide late-night Metrorail service until 3 a.m. on weekends with riders paying peak fare from midnight until closing on Friday and Saturday nights.

Metrobus fares will increase 20 percent, from $1.25 to $1.50 for customers who pay with SmarTrip® and from $1.35 to $1.70 for customers who pay with cash. The price of a Metrobus ride remains lower than bus fares in most major Metropolitan areas. New York, Chicago, San Francisco and Seattle each charge $2 or more for a bus ride.

The Metrobus Weekly Pass price will increase from $11 to $15. The weekly pass allows unlimited travel on Metrobus for seven days, and customers begin saving money after taking only 10 trips.

Fare on Metrobus airport routes to Dulles International Airport (Route 5A) and Baltimore Washington International-Thurgood Marshall Airport (Route B30) will increase from $3.10 to $6.

The MetroAccess base fare will increase from $2.50 to twice the equivalent fixed route bus or rail fare, up to $7. Supplemental fare for service provided beyond the ADA core service area will increase by $1 per zone, up to $5.

In addition to Metrorail, Metrobus and MetroAccess fare changes, the following changes also will take effect June 27:
• The Metrorail-to-Metrobus and Metrobus-to-Metrorail transfer period will decrease from three to two hours;
• Reserved parking fees will increase from $55 to $65. All other parking fees will remain unchanged; and
• The annual fee for renting a bicycle locker at Metrorail stations will increase from $70 to $200. It is the first increase in locker fees since the inception of the program in 1978. A reserved, secure place to store a bicycle is only 55 cents a day.

A complete list of the fare changes that were approved today can be found online.

The Board of Directors is expected to vote on the final FY2011 budget at its June 24 meeting.

Note: The new fares for FY2011 will be an increase in fares that were in place prior to the 10-cent surcharge implemented in March.
News release issued at 6:54 pm, May 27, 2010.

[rhinestone]

LOL, people spend more than this on a cup of coffee. Stop whining.

[HurricaneDC]

Originally Posted by rhinestone

LOL, people spend more than this on a cup of coffee. Stop whining.

Where was I whining? Oh, right, you just like to carry personal vendettas into every post I make because you get off on feeling like you've won an argument on the internet but hey to each his own

PS: actual coffee at Starbucks is about $1.50, it's like saying "why would you spend 2.80 on a bottle of water?" when you can buy a giant bottle of generic-brand water for 80 cents.

[rhinestone]

Originally Posted by HurricaneDC

Where was I whining? Oh, right, you just like to carry personal vendettas into every post I make because you get off on feeling like you've won an argument on the internet but hey to each his own

PS: actual coffee at Starbucks is about $1.50, it's like saying "why would you spend 2.80 on a bottle of water?" when you can buy a giant bottle of generic-brand water for 80 cents.

Now, here.

I don't spend money on bottled water. That's probably why I have plenty to pay Metro.

[HurricaneDC]

Originally Posted by rhinestone

Now, here.

I don't spend money on bottled water. That's probably why I have plenty to pay Metro.

Again, where exactly did I whine? I said "prepare to bend over" which was more facetious than anything else, and then I proceeded to simply state the facts. Hell I even said "at least we're not paying more for less."

I'd also like to see where I said that I personally spend money on bottled water... forgive me for asking these questions, my eyesight is bad. Just quoting the text and putting it in bold is fine.

[GaBison2007]

Originally Posted by rhinestone

LOL, people spend more than this on a cup of coffee. Stop whining.

people usually buy a cup of joe one time a day to start their morning...some don't even buy coffee and wait to get theirs free at work and alot of people who ride the bus/metro can't even afford to spend the money on Coffee because of things like DC rent, groceries, and the ever-increasing transportation costs....sometimes I don't see why you bring up coffee every-time someone mentions the metro system honestly....I mean would you tell a housekeeper who works in DC for 8 bucks an hour she should quit whining and cut back on ramen noodles? Anyways people take metro at least 2 times a day, three or more if they have other places to go during the day or have multiple jobs.........it honestly adds up, so this 20% increase is going to be a semi-big deal for alot of DC residents esp in the middle class/poor parts of the city

I mean people who are concerned about the increase aren't whiners...they just wonder what's going on...I wonder myself what really will change with this increase but here's hoping for the best....

[HurricaneDC]

I don't think anything will change per se. Their operating costs have gone up, the local jurisdictions won't fund them, and they need to do maintenance/upgrades. It was either keep paying the same amount and have service cuts, pay more and keep the same service, or have the local jurisdictions put more funding into public transportation. Guess which won out.

[BKmachine]

A lot more people will be catching buses, particularity routes S2/S4/S9, 70/71,79, X2, 52/53/54.

[betamanlet]

Originally Posted by rhinestone

LOL, people spend more than this on a cup of coffee. Stop whining.

Coffee isn't round trip plus parking. It's basically now no longer a cost issue between driving and taking the metro.. It's whether you want to have traffic jams or delays on the metro and you want to reduce your "carbon footprint". Think this is going to be the last fare hike? All this will do, given this will only preserve the current crap level of service, is drive more users to the roads, making traffic worse.