Metro Eyes Fair Increase
Seattlest is grateful for our bus pass and our Zipcar membership. Paying more than $4 a gallon just doesn't sound enticing for us, but we're not surprised when we hear about rate increases and other ancillary fees (like having to pay for our baggage when we fly) being passed onto us for using public transportation.
Now, of course, Metro is chewing on the notion of increasing bus fares. Personally, we'd be okay with a slight increase. Paying $1.75 for a rush hour trip home from work (when you can sit back with a book and let someone else drive) is a lot better than paying $4+ per gallon, worrying about overpriced parking, and dealing with the over-congestion on all our city streets. Apparently, we're not the only ones who have given up the social convenience of our own cars for the fiscal convenience of public transit.
According to an article in the Times:
Like other transit agencies, Metro is seeing more riders. Transit use is up 3.3 percent nationwide, and up 6 percent in King County, compared with the first quarter of 2007, according to the American Public Transit Association.Currently, King County Executive (and newly converted Obama superdelegate) Ron Sims is awaiting a plan to deal with the concurrent increase in demand and fuel prices.A number of factors make this an auspicious time to woo passengers: spiking gas prices, parking fees, traffic congestion, added transit services, and awareness of global warming.
"Why would we reduce service, and why would we not grow our system out, in light of demand?" wonders Sims.
Perhaps most eyebrow-raising, from the same article, "Metro has suspended the purchases of biodiesel, which costs more than regular diesel." Especially when you take it into consideration in comparison with this: "One winner is Pierce Transit, whose fleet runs on compressed natural gas, equivalent to $1.89 per gallon."
photo from Seattlest Flickr user Sea Turtle
