November 13, 2007
Metro Fare Hike Hearings Begin Tonight
WMATA has put out a release to remind everyone that the first in a series of six planned public hearings on the proposed Metro fare hike is tonight. All six hearings start at 7 p.m., with open-houses beginning at 6:30 p.m. before each one. Tonight's hearing is in Reston, at the Bechtel Conference Center, which is at 1801 Alexander Bell Drive. To get there, take the Orange line to the West Falls Church station, and transfer to the Fairfax Connector Bus 505 or 950 to the Reston Town Center Transit Station, where Metro will have free shuttle buses leaving at 6 and 6:30 p.m. to take you to public hearing.
Hearings planned inside the District include one Wednesday night at the Jackson Graham Building at 600 Fifth Street NW, and Thursday night at St. Luke’s Center at 4923 East Capitol Street SE.
Do you plan to attend any of the public hearings? The details of the proposed fare hikes can be found here.
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Am I reading that right? They're having a Metro hearing at a location that is not normally Metro accessible?
I know there are 5 other meetings, some of which are in better locations.
Can anyone explain to me why they aren't even trying to increase advertising rather than increase fares? Seems like 98% of space is unused.
I cannot attend any of the meetings. The Post yesterday posted contact info via email - do you think sending a polite but firm protest email would help ?
Also, I would take billboards & tacky ads posted all over the walls, tunnels, interiors & exteriors over any fare & parking increase !
How did I read that address at first as Taco Bell Dr?
Off topic? Sorry.
I hate to seem bitter, but does anyone think there is even a point to having these hearings? As far as I can tell, none of the comments we (the Metro users) have made in the past have changed the decisions that are made. I feel the fares will go up regardless.
The cynic in me is saying they chose that particular location in RESTON(?!) to be the maximum distance from most of the urban poor who rely the most on Metro.
Then I realize this is right next to Wolf Trap which has, in fact, gotten pretty ghetto lately. Why, when I pulled up next to a limo and asked for Grey Poupon, the guy with the monocle offered me one of those eggroll mustard packets you get with Chinese takeout! Quelle horrible!
Bob: ME TOO! weird.
Except that the urban poor who most rely on Metro aren't getting hit particularly hard -- $0.10 for buses IF you don't use a SmarTrip card (and I think there are plans to stop charging for the cards?). Sure, the base Metro fare will go up more than that, but most people who are really counting pennies (as opposed to the rest of us, who are counting quarters) stick with the bus system as much as possible, since it's cheaper than Metro. The biggest hit is for suburban commuters who drive to the park-n-rides at the end of the line. I would assume they're the ones the Reston meeting is targeted at.
if any of you go, will you PLEASE ask them if they could POSSIBLY offer a monthly pass to the metro. PLEASE!? ARGH..
also, the advertising would be a good idea as well.
They do offer a monthly pass.. in the form of four weekly passes.
If you don't currently use a weekly, you're probably not going to use a monthly. I've also been told by WMATA that there are no plans to expand SmarTrip to handle passes.
i would definitely use a monthly, but dont use a weekly.
Again thier is no financial incentive to offer monthly passes...it won't happen.
If you won't use a weekly, why would you use a monthly? To me it sounds like you're wanting a monthly pass that is much cheaper than four weekly passes which is never going to happen. Metro is at record ridership and has a deficit. There's no reason they would offer a monthly pass for anything cheaper than around $130 which is the cost of four weekly passes.
well, they would probably make money, considering most people are not taking the metro because it gets so expensive. what you do is, you charge a certain amount (what it would be , i dont know) that would make it benefit metro because a lot of virginians and marylanders would buy it but only use it to commute. it would ENCOURAGE ridership in those areas, because if they got a discount on buying a monthly pass, more people would inclined to ride instead of renting a parking space downtown (i know a lot of people who are stopping riding the metro and buying parking passes because its cheaper). give people an incentive to ride the metro, and more people might give up driving to work, instead of that number increasing.
and i, living in DC, would get a discount, yes, for my short trips.
i dont use a weekly because its pretty much the same price as just paying for the metro. again, you would discount the pass, but make up for it in volume of riders buying it that might otherwise drive to work, which is increasing daily.
please see colin's lovely article:
http://dcist.com/2006/09/26/what_metro_need.php
"considering most people are not taking the metro because it gets so expensive."
That's an awfully large assumption, don't you think? While cost is no doubt a factor for many people, there are also the factors of parking availability, proximity to stops, willingness to put up crowded trains or buses, having to accept the possibility of waiting or being stranded due to system problems, physical condition, weather, etc..
As inloganO says, Metro doesn't need to necessarily encourage ridership.. it's pretty full as it is, at least on the Metrorail side. What they need is money. Offering a discount to people already using the system is counter-intuitive.
but im saying, they would be getting more money, with more riders. whether you believe that would happen or not is up to you.
and i've often thought about stopping taking the metro because its so expensive. i actually live in DC and commute to rockville every day (i will never, ever live in MD). its ridiculously expensive. it would be cheaper to drive. i have prevented myself from succumbing to this pressure (lots of free parking in maryland) for environmental reasons, but most of the people i work with drive to work because its CHEAPER. even with a government subsidy.
Well my commute to West Falls Church from McPherson Square everyday costs $5.20 just for rail (lets say $104 a month). So I'd like a pass that costs $80 a month. But my $80 a month pass would be a much sweeter deal to someone who is commuting to Vienna and would have to normally pay $142 a month. So basically they'd have to get more than two new riders ($86 deficit) to make up for the difference caused by the Vienna and WFC commuter getting a discount. That's the problem with our distance-based fare calculation. We'd need multiple passes to even begin to think about offering a monthly pass.
well yes, i agree with you that the distance based fare calculation is also bull. a flat fee (2 bucks?) with a monthly pass would make much more sense.