Metro’s board of directors on Thursday proposed raising train, bus and MetroAccess fares up to 10 cents per trip as a stopgap measure to help fill a $40 million budget shortfall.
Instead of voting on proposed service cuts Thursday as planned, the board now plans to holda public hearing Jan. 27 to get feedback on whether Metro should cut bus and rail service, raid its capital funds that are slated to maintain the system’s facilities and equipment, or put a “surcharge” on all fares. The hearing will come the night before the board plans to vote on the emergency bailout.
» When: 5:30 p.m. Jan. 27
» Where: Metro headquarters, 600 Fifth St. NW
» Note: Those who wish to speak should register in advance.
To submit written comments or sign up to speak, contact:
» Mail: Office of the Secretary, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, 600 Fifth St. NW, Washington, DC 20001
» Fax: 202-962-1133
» E-mail: [email protected]
Metro has been grappling with the unanticipated mid-budget shortfall as ridership has dropped, bringing in less fare money than expected. The agency does not expect to meet its ridership projections during any month of the year, General Manager John Catoe said Thursday.
Metro staff had proposed service cuts to cover about $4 million of the gap. The plan included eliminating eight-car trains during morning and evening commutes, increasing wait times between buses and trains, closing some station entrances after 8 p.m. and on weekends, and trimming bus service.
But riders and officials did not like those options, worried the cuts would further drive riders away.
“Thirty-minute headways are just nonsensical on a system we have spent this much money on,” said board member Christopher Zimmerman, who also serves on the Arlington County Board. “With connections, their journeys will become so unpredictable they might as well choose their cars.”
On Thursday, staff also proposed tapping into more capital money by moving some equipment costs to the long-term capital expense balance sheet.
But some directors balked, saying that would undermine the agency’s ability to maintain its facilities by taking away money reserved for other long-term maintenance projects.
Instead, Zimmerman proposed asking riders to consider a fare increase. “I don’t know why we aren’t even giving the public this option,” he said. “People could decide not to take it.”
Riders are already likely to pay more this year. The agency has said it likely will need to raise fares to help cover a separate projected $175 million hole in next year’s budget, which begins July 1. When the board last approved a fare increase for January 2008, directors agreed to consider fare increases only every two years and keep them limited to increases in the Consumer Price Index. Under that policy, new increases are due this year.
The proposal discussed Thursday would be an emergency increase for the last four months of the fiscal year, likely starting in March. Metro staff estimated a 10-cent fare increase would bring in about $8 million in four months as long as it did not discourage riders from taking trains and buses.
The board would need to separately consider a permanent fare increase.
