By now, I'm sure most, if not all of the DCATZ regulars know that I'm quite disgruntled with metrorail fares. In a nutshell, I think the system is extremely expensive, and not much of an incentive to get people out of their cars. That said, I'm posting this not to debate this topic (again), but because I found it very interesting.
Anyways, a few days ago at work some co-workers were talking about getting around on metrorail. These people are young recent college grads and mid to late twentysomethings. One person starts out by saying that her fare to/from work is reasonable (she lives in DC), but she's rather angry about the fare when traveling to/from her second job in Ballston.
The next person says her salary is somewhat modest (entry level position), she's disgusted with the cost of commuting on metrorail and therefore planning to buy a car soon. Finally, she says that she can't imagine how someone with a low salary and/or more obligations can make ends meet as she considers metrorail fares to be a budget-buster.
One person mentions the cost of commuting in the Chicago area. The next person agreed about the relative low cost of commuting via mass transit in the Chicago area. After a few seconds the group (three women) turn toward me and ask about the fares in NYC and the unlimited ride MetroCards. Next the second person says that it's one thing to have pricey rail fares, but it's terrible that regular commuters don't really have any options to save money.
Me: During the conversation, I was simply nodding in agreement (but not saying much) as I wanted to hear their comments without any input from myself. I shared with them a conversation I had with a WMATA rep at our benefits fair a few years ago. Basically, I told him of my commute via metrorail including either parking at the station or taking the bus to/from the station. Then I told him how much I spend in gasoline each week along with the monthly cost of parking at work. I then asked the rep to explain what financial incentive is there to get me out of my car. Our conversation ended with rep saying that, given the costs, he certainly understands why I choose to drive to/from work.
Very interesting.