for just a minute.
TriMet voted to increase fares n
the Max and buses starting next year.
It's the first time they've raid
fares in more than a decade.
Prices have stayed the same since 2012,
but this week Trimet's board ded
it is time for an increase and s
going to take effect in January.
The increase is $0.30 per ride.
Right now you pay 250 for up to 2 1/2 hours,
or $5 for the entire day.
Next year that price goes up to 280 for 2
1/2 hours and the day pass will be 5-60.
Hundred citizens and youth pass
prices are going up as well,
but if you buy a monthly pass
which costs $100 now,
the price will not go up.
It's going to stay the same.
Dry Med says inflation made
it necessary to raise prices.
But a lot of folks are not happy with that,
especially because a substantial
portion of TriMet riders are
people who have lower incomes
and people with disabilities,
which will result in decreased ridership,
increased traffic congestion,
increased air pollution,
and hastened climate chaos.
Your studies and their testimony spoke
to the huge equity and climate justice
issues underlying today's decis.
A fare increase will pose hardsp
for many low income, working po,
elderly and disabled writers.
My partner, who uses transit daily for work,
noted how illogical it is to kep
passes at the same rate while
charging more for those who bary
scrape by and can't afford an
annual or monthly pass upfront.
Our budget for the next fiscal r
does increase have a fare increase that
will help fund.
The first big package of improvements
but forward together Service pl.
These are improvements to provide to you,
our riders, especially those
with low and limited incomes,
better connections for more people to reach,
more jobs and places throughout our region.
It calls it calls,
but buses arriving more often and earlier.
And later times in a day.
TriMet says they want to increae
service over the next few years
and that their operating costs
have gone up in the past decade.
At the same time, fewer people are using,
writing and using transit.
TriMet says they only have about 62% of
the riders they had before the pandemic.
The numbers are starting to reb.
They say they gave about
4.8 million rides in April.
That's up 15% over last year,
and that's with a three-week
construction disruption on the Max line.
Last year they had to reduce
service on several bus lines.
They're struggling to find works
and they had to pay to increasey
in order to try and hire more people.
In the end,
Trimet's board voted six to one that yes,
they needed to increase the far.
Now they do have a discount prom
in place for people with low incomes,
but people at the meeting said t
just wasn't a very good solutio.
I know that claims have been mae
that discounts will be availablr
low income individuals and fami.
And to that, I respond that the
poor are not circus animals.
We shouldn't have to jump
through hoops on your command to
access basic services and needs,
and you may not know this,
but it can be a cumbersome procs
to access discount programs,
which often require filling
out confusing paperwork,
traveling across town to a benefits office,
and waiting in long lines.
And these requirements are especially
challenging for those who speak other
languages and those who alreadye
limited access to transportatio.
And those who are time poured do
having to work long hours of multiple jobs.
Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler also asked
TriMet not to rare raise fares he's been
championing for the last few weeks to reduce
things like city taxes and fee increases.
It's his attempt to stop people he says
from moving away from Portland, he wrote.
While I appreciate and understand the stated
reasoning behind the proposed increases,
I firmly believe many Portlandes
today are being priced out.
Although individual rate
increases may seem minor,
the collective impact of tax,
utility rate and fee increases
by multiple regional,
public and private agencies results in
financial hardship for many Portlanders.
Many people opposed to the fare hike argue
the public transit should just be free.
They believe transportation
is a public service,
much like the library or the fire department.
It is an idea that's taking hold
in some cities.
In 2019, Kansas, City, MO, mades
buses and streetcars free to the public.
And so did Westchester, Massachusetts.
It's starting later this summer.
Washington, DC, is making its bus rides free.
San Francisco and Denver both working on
pilot programs where transit rides would
be free for some riders in some cases.
At least one TriMet board member
said he does like that idea,
but doesn't think it would work here.
What do you think?
Should public transit be free to
riders but funded with tax doll?
Or should TriMet raise rates
and try to improve service?
Or maybe something else?
We want to hear your thoughts.
Send them to us.
William,
the address is the story at kgwm
or call and leave a voicemail.
The number is
503-226-5090.