 "Photo: Anne-Marie Huff/The Daily Texan")
Starting in January, Capital Metro bus riders should pack some more change after a fare increase of 25 cents.
The Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization board decided Monday to allow the single-ride base fare increase that the Capital Metro Board of Directors approved last week.
CAMPO had 60 days from the Capital Metro board decision to decide on whether to raise objections to the single-ride increase that raised fares from 75 cents to $1. The planning organization has the power to block increases in the single-ride base fare for bus riders.
Although CAMPO board members unanimously voted to allow the decision and let the increase go into effect Jan. 18, concerns were raised over how increased prices would affect Capital Metro ridership. The board also requested more information about the impact of such increases from Capital Metro.
“The fare increases are necessary for operating costs,” said Doug Allen, Capital Metro’s interim president and chief executive officer. “But as we consider fare increases, we still want to make sure that fares remain affordable.”
He said that fares are well below the standard of what families should spend on transportation, which is typically 18 percent of a family budget, and that Capital Metro fares are among the lowest in Texas and across the nation.
Capital Metro also held several public meetings throughout October and conducted outreach to customers and neighborhood organizations about proposed fare increases, including a proposal that would have charged a small fare for the elderly and disabled, who currently ride for free.
Capital Metro did approve a package of fare increases last week that includes raising the local month bus pass from $18 to $28 and the express bus monthly pass from $36 to $63.
The price of a Capital MetroRail 31-day pass will increase from $36 to $70. UT students use Capital Metro services for free through an agreement between UT and Capital Metro paid for by student fees.
CAMPO does not have the power to approve price changes for the monthly passes.
“Increases are never an easy thing to do, especially during an economic downturn,” said City Councilman Chris Riley, a CAMPO board member. “It makes it challenging both for an agency and those in the community who are dependent upon public transportation to get around.”
Capital Metro will evaluate and track ridership after the change takes place in January to gauge effects of the increases.
Allen said that ridership loss will vary depending on the season and price of gas.
Journalism graduate student Fred Badlissi attended the meeting and caught the Intramural Fields bus after the meeting to his car parked off-campus.
He said that he hoped Capital Metro and CAMPO board members had done their research on the fare increases in order to make accurate assessments of where Austin stands in comparison to bus fare rates across the nation.
“It seems to be a necessary evil,” Badlissi said. “I don’t necessarily like it, and I’m sure I wouldn’t like it even more if I wasn’t a student.”
Badlissi also said that he has often had to rely on public transportation as his main way to get around.
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