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The bus driver who wrote to support the mayor's proposed bus fare hike didn't mention that half of the proposed hike was approved by the Traffic and Parking Commission. The mayor wants the City Council to override the TPC and approve the other half.
These increases will not provide significantly improved service nor security for bus riders and drivers. The city has other options to fund better Metro service, but a majority of the Council decided last autumn to put the burden on people who depend on the bus. A half-price, 31-day pass has been proposed, but a maximum of only 400 of these passes would be available per month. The driver wrote that without an increase there will be cuts in service, but there's no evidence for that -- the TPC decides. As for safety at transfer points, that's the responsibility of the Madison Police Department. If the city has a true commitment to a quality transit system, raising fares is the wrong way to get there. Historically, raising fares decreases ridership and triggers a downward spiral. Contact your representatives and the mayor, and attend the City Council's hearing on bus fares tonight at 6:15 p.m. at the City-County Building, 210 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
-- Norm Littlejohn, Madison
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