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MTA fares are apt to rise
Board sets Sept. 21 hearing on proposal
GENESEE COUNTY
THE FLINT JOURNAL FIRST EDITION
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
By Marjory Raymer
mraymer@flintjournal.com • 810.766.6325
Bus riders soon will have to dig deeper to catch a ride if the local agency approves proposed fare increases of as much as 50 percent.
The price increase - from $1 to $1.25 at bus stops and from $2 to $3 for Your Ride curb-to-curb service - will help the Mass Transportation Authority raise almost $1 million next year.
"It's going to be hard for people. An increase is never good," said David Crawford of Flint, who said he has taken the bus every day for two years because he could no longer afford his van.
Increased fuel costs, health insurance rates and contracted salary increases are creating a projected $2.8-million deficit, MTA General Manager Robert Foy said, despite a 0.4-mill MTA tax renewal approved by voters this month.
The fare increase would go into effect Oct. 1, if approved by the authority's board. A public hearing is planned for 8 a.m. Sept. 21, and the board is expected to vote after that.
It would be the first price increase in 11 years, said Foy, who noted the cost of gas has increased from $1 million to an estimated $3 million in just four years.
"That's still an awfully good buy for the users," board member Joe Conroy said last week when the proposal went before board members.
Looking out over the ongoing, $6-million renovation project at the downtown bus station, rider Michael Thomas of Flint said it's hard to understand why riders should be asked to pay more.
"A lot of people already don't have the dollar. How are they going to get the extra?" said Thomas, 45.
The fares are per trip, and most need a transfer. So that means, bus riders typically end up paying $2.70 for every round trip.
The increases also will cost riders such as Reginald Spencer of Flint $2 instead of $1.50 each way to hitch a ride down to Great Lakes Crossing for work on the regional routes.
And Spencer said he will pay it: "I couldn't afford to drive there (for that)."
Potentially hardest hit are Your Ride users. The service's white vans and cars primarily benefit suburban Genesee County residents as well as elderly, disabled and young students.
The cost there is being increased from $2 per trip to $3, and monthly passes, which cost $24 to $35, are being eliminated simply because they were too popular.
Some users would punch in with 50-60 rides, and it was simply too large a drain on the system, Foy said. Student passes will continue though because children can't be expected to handle money or remember bus passes, Foy said.
That increase seemed far too drastic to Spencer, though.
"That's a local ride. That's not a long distance," said Spencer, whose wife often uses Your Ride. "Most of those are old people. They don't need an increase. They already have a hard enough time paying for prescriptions."
The board also will consider route changes, including changing service to Genesys Regional Medical Center to hourly instead of every half hour and adding a stop at the new Grand Blanc Township Wal-Mart in Heritage Park.
The board also will soon consider parking fees at its Dort Highway facility, which likely would impact Amtrak riders the most. A $5 daily maximum was proposed, but the board did not vote to schedule a public hearing on that issue.
Foy said administrators would re-evaluate the issue and bring it to the board at a later date.
Fares fair?
What: Public hearing on proposed fare increases
When: 8 a.m. Sept. 21
Where: MTA headquarters, 1401 S. Dort Highway
Who: Open to the public
Why: MTA board members want input on proposed fare increases and route changes. The board is expected to decide during its meeting after the public hearing.
Authority's proposed fare increases:
Current Proposed
Fixed Route $1 $1.25
Regional routes $1.50 $2
Transfer 10 cents 5 cents
Your Ride $2 $3
Your Ride (disabled users) $1 $1.50-$2
Student monthly pass $24 $30
http://www.mlive.com/news/fljournal/index.ssf?/base/news-38/1156863044317540.xml&coll=5 |
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Wed Aug 30, 2006 5:37 am |
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