WaPo Editorial on Low Metrobus Fares & WMATA Board Structure

[WayneNYC]

Oren,

Although I'm generally against distance based fares on local bus and subway, I do see where it's necessary on other types like commuter rail and so on.  I wasn't very specific earlier, but my major issue with WMATA's Metrorail fares is that they start very reasonable (if not outright bargain), but they quickly get incredibly expensive for passengers travelling to/from outlying areas.  I can understand if there was either a surcharge at (just throwing out a number), let's beyond a 10 mile radius from downtown DC.  That said, with the current fare structure my major issue is that I feel passengers travelling to/from outlying area my pay outrageous fares.  I feel that the "pain" should be spread more evenly for all WMATA passengers.

[WMATAGMOAGH]

Oren,

Although I'm generally against distance based fares on local bus and subway, I do see where it's necessary on other types like commuter rail and so on.  I wasn't very specific earlier, but my major issue with WMATA's Metrorail fares is that they start very reasonable (if not outright bargain), but they quickly get incredibly expensive for passengers travelling to/from outlying areas.  I can understand if there was either a surcharge at (just throwing out a number), let's beyond a 10 mile radius from downtown DC.  That said, with the current fare structure my major issue is that I feel passengers travelling to/from outlying area my pay outrageous fares.  I feel that the "pain" should be spread more evenly for all WMATA passengers.

Wayne,

Thanks for the clarification.

I think your point about how WMATA responded to the survey where riders said they wanted fare increases instead of service cuts, and now they got what they asked for, is a good one.  Did they know what they were getting as a result of that request though?

Economics are not my strong point, but is there truly a higher price PER MILE when someone travels 10 miles instead of one?  And if so, is it really the amount of difference in the rate WMATA will be charging come July?  I could be persuaded easily that the per mile charge should be the same for all riders, and that there is a significant penalty for riders traveling over 7 miles and especially over 10 miles under the current proposal.  However, I remain firm in my opposition to flat fares for Metrorail.

I also think (and have said this before) that there needs to be a serious evaluation of the services Metro provides, especially on the bus side, to eliminate services that no one is using and to simplify routings established back when T-Rex rode the system and haven't been updated since. 

Jason, correct me if I'm wrong but weren't you declaring WMATA to be a model system until you moved to the DC area???

That was before 32+ years of zero maintenance, John Catoe, and the second Great Depression turned Metro into a slow, congested, obscenely expensive cash grab/jobs program that just happens to provide transit. It's like all of Metro's chickens decided to roost at the same time and the fact that Catoe was putting Metrobus at Metrorail's expense was the cue for the Metro collapse.

Now I'd rather have MTA in Baltimore. At least their fare structure is sane and they get love from Annapolis.

So you are proving my point that people bitch and moan about WMATA no matter what.  Everyone thought Catoe would be the coming of the Messiah, and then ran him out of town.  Same goes for Richard White.  People started raising concerns about preventive maintenance in the mid-1990s but no one heeed those calls.  Now everyone is looking for someone to blame and/or complaining about what happened.  When it comes to talking positively about transit systems, the grass is always greener from the other side of the fence.  I have a friend in San Francisco who would love to swap WMATA for BART/MUNI.  Take that for what it is worth.

[Scrabbleship]

I think regarding Catoe it was a bit of a bait and switch. The attention and improvements Catoe gave Metrobus were sorely needed (though wasting a few million on the LFA styling on 250+ buses seems poor in retrospect), however having everything on the rail end blow up in his face during his time there didn't help. Of course, his battles with the BRU in LA might have helped him with the one-man bow-tied BRU here in DC.

An acquaintance in Boston and I got into a pretty heated debate of WMATA vs. MBTA. When I told him of the massive rate hikes, his response was "you get what you pay for; I'd pay extra for cushioned seats and carpet". Of course, outside the Green Line they don't have the insane congestion delays that WMATA has suffered the last few years, especially post-Fort Totten.