Hikes in transit fares, which take effect next month, will affect
Metro Mobility riders as well as riders of Metro Transit buses and
Hiawatha Corridor light rail. The rate hike was approved August 13
by the Metropolitan Council and will go into effect October 1. The
increase is 50 cents for Metro Mobility service for persons with disabilities
and 25 cents for regular-route service.
New cash fares will
be $1.75, $2.25 or $3 depending on the type of service and time
of day. Metro Mobility fares will be $4
during weekday rush hours and $3 at other times.
The fare increase will be implemented by all service providers, including
Metro Transit, the region’s largest provider of transit service,
Metro Mobility, suburban transit providers, and dial-a-ride and other
contacted service.
Metro Transit, the region’s largest provider of transit service,
expects to provide 80 million rides in 2008. The need for a fare increase
was announced in June, followed by public hearings and meetings in
July. More than 400 public comments were received from people
who attended the public sessions or submitted comments by other means,
including email, fax, phone messages and mail. Comments were received
from riders with disabilities as well as those who ride regular Metro
Transit routes and routes of suburban transit providers.
Among those commenting
was Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak, who expressed opposition to the
fare increase at one public hearing. Rybak said that fare increases
are a step in the wrong direction. “At
a time
of skyrocketing gas prices, traffic congestion and global warming,
we have an historic opportunity to dramatically improve and increase
transit use,” Rybak said. “At this rare moment, we have
the opportunity to make the single greatest shift in transportation
patterns in a generation. We should seize this opportunity, not ignore
it.”
“More people than ever want to ride transit and Metro Transit
should do everything possible to encourage people to use transit, not
discourage them,” Rybak added. “Fare increases discourage
transit ridership pure and simple and Metro Transit should delay
this increase and explore other options to balance their budget.”
The Metropolitan Council also approved a second fare increase, if
needed, to take effect sometime in 2009, adding up to another 50 cents
to the cost of a bus, train or Metro Mobility ride, depending on the
cost of fuel and other economic factors. Council officials have indicated
there will be opportunity for additional public input in advance of
a second increase, if another increase is deemed necessary.
The last fare increase took effect July 1, 2005.
The council, however,
did not support extending the morning rush-hour by one-half hour,
so that rush hour fares would have begun at 5:30 a.m. “The longer morning rush-hour was a sticking point among
people who are transit dependent, and who felt it would impose particular
hardship upon lower-income customers,” said Council Chair Peter
Bell. “We felt this was an area where we were able to
exercise some flexibility.”
“No one particularly relishes the idea of higher fares, least
of all the council—given growing transit ridership,” said
Bell. “But it’s safe to say people understand what it
means when we experience rising fuel costs and lower than expected
revenues from the Motor Vehicle Sales Tax (MSTV).
“Under the circumstances, it’s an increase that’s
pretty modest and fair,” Bell added.
The regional transit operating budget in FY2009 is $378.4 million.
Transit services are struggling with increased fuel costs, as a time
when ridership demand continuers to increase MVST revenues for FY2009
are forecasted to be $124 million, $16 million less than the Nov. 2007
forecast (in FY08, metro-area transit receives 24 percent of MVST revenues,
and when the five-year phase-in is complete in 2012, metro-area transit
will receive 36 percent of MVST revenues)
Even with the fare increase, agency officials say support from the
Minnesota Legislature will be needed to close the gap on projected
shortfalls in the future. The fare increase addresses about half the
expected regional transit shortfall for 2009 of $15 million, a deficit
that would have been higher without a $31 million infusion from the
county sales tax the legislature approved this year. The fare increase
will also help to lower an anticipated shortfall in 2010 and 2011,
which combined, was projected to be closer to $70 million. ![end of story]()
This information is from
Metropolitan Council and City of Minneapolis.
