Results tagged “farehikes”

WMATA plans to scrounge up $36 million from a combination of stimulus funds, inaugural reimbursements, surplus reserves and insurance money to deal with its widening budget gap for the 2010 fiscal year, both the Post and the Examiner are reporting.

It's Friday, Washington, and reactions are still rolling in to Metro's approval of its largest fare hikes ever. We all knew this was coming, but we're curious to hear if any of our readers actually plan to make changes to their commuting habits come January 6, when the increases will go into effect. Do you think you'll ride Metro any less, or finally make the leap to using SmarTrip? Let us know in the comments.

The Post is reporting that in an 8-2 vote, Metro's finance committee has approved a series of fare hikes at their full meeting today. The plan they approved was the one recently offered by Maryland members of the board, which is less expensive for suburban customers who park and ride. The vote basically guarantees that the full board will approve the fare hikes later today. Here's how the new fares will break down: >> The...

Good morning, Washington. We'll be standing by for a good chunk of the day to see what the Metro Board decides to do about the proposed fare hike - the Board is meeting at 11 a.m. for a session that is expected to produce a final vote on the fare hikes, which could go into effect as soon as January. Board members have indicated they would likely pass a fare hike that is slightly less than the current proposal.

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...

Given his position as chairman of the committee that oversees transportation and the D.C. Taxicab Commission, we knew headline-loving Ward 1 D.C. Council member Jim Graham wouldn't pass up an opportunity to create his own spectacle in the wake of Mayor Adrian Fenty's announcement about the transition to taxi meters. But it seems as though Graham was only able to muster up the resources to put together a 2 p.m. public roundtable at the Wilson...

Mark your calendars: WMATA put out a release earlier today announcing the dates of a series of six public meetings at which you can voice your opinions about the proposed Metro fare hikes, which would go into effect in January. The full set of proposed increases is here, but the basics include raising the base fare of Metrorail from $1.35 to $1.65, keep bus fares the same as long as you use SmarTrip cards (add...

Welcome to Friday, Washington. More reactions to the Metro Board's proposed fare hikes this morning, as The Examiner quotes the chairman of Metro's Riders Advisory Board claiming he'll be switching to driving from Rockville to Rosslyn at least two days a week if the increases go into effect. Do the proposed fare hikes make you think you'll change your commuting habits? Operator Error Blamed in Track Deaths: Another report about a terrible Metro accident from...

UPDATE: The Metro Board has put the proposed fare hikes on hold, saying they would like more details about the proposals before they would approve public hearings. They voted to hold a special informational committee meeting on Sept. 27. More than a year ago, then interim Metro Chief Dan Tangherlini began uttering those two little words no transit rider likes to hear: fare increase. At the time though, our favorite transit official was reassuring...

While SFist cringed at the fatal dose of crime littering the Bay Area, it found solace in Hillary Clinton's San Francisco campaign headquarters opening, which featured loads of exposed mammary glands. In other news, SF Taxi Commission ruled that Satan's cab must keep its (in)famous medallion number, 666; and in an un-fashion-forward frenzy, San Francisco Fashion Week (chortle) bars bloggers from covering and getting smashed at their shows and parties, respectively. Also, they found a...

Good morning, Washington. It's time for us to let you in on a secret: some of us start work on these roundups the night before they go online. In fact, as we write this we're watching FOX5's 10PM storm coverage — and we're afraid that, at the moment, the weather prognosis does not look good. Judging solely by WTTG's graphics packages and the number of personnel on their Snow Patrol, we're facing a bona fide snowpocalypse. For those lucky few who have hoarded enough bread, milk and toilet paper to (briefly) forestall an icy demise: here's your morning roundup.

Storm Aftermath: Last night's storm dumped a whopping — well, we don't actually know how much snow came down. It certainly looks like less than an inch here in Northwest, but the local news outlets seem to be too embarassed by their doomsaying to fess up about the actual amount. Nevertheless, an icy coating may mean problems for your morning commute. WMATA crews worked through the night to make sure Metro runs smoothly, but it does look like the roads are slippery. Be careful out there. And, if you're still hoping that you might not have to venture out at all, NBC4 has a list of area closings here — most noteworthy is the federal government's two hour delay/unscheduled leave policy. Finally, all weatherphiles should be sure to check out CapitalWeather's liveblogging of the storm.

WMATA Board Considers Firing Chief Executive: Today's Post reports that members of the transit agency's board of directors are quietly considering removing CEO Richard White from his position. White has been with the agency since 1996, but his image has recently been hurt by a number of small scandals — and some mismanagement of funds large enough to attract Congressional attention. The board had asked to see improvement; apparently they haven't seen enough. In some good news (for riders, anyway), White has just announced his 2007 spending plan — and it doesn't include fare hikes.

Two Women Charged With Soliciting Assassins: In a truly bizarre story, two different Fairfax women — both named April — have been charged with trying to hire someone to kill their respective boyfriends. In both cases the solicitor's inquiries were answered by undercover police. The incidents aren't related, but there are even more similarities. The Post has all of the weird details.

Briefly Noted: Montgomery Blair H.S. student arrested for arson... Man spoiling for fight with city over nativity scene... Woman assaulted on way home from Metro... Sex Ed curriculum in Montgomery County sparks controversy...

Picture posted to DCist Photos by Flickr user erin m