Today was the hardest and most wrenching vote I’ve ever taken. To deal with what they said was an operating deficit, Metro staff proposed to the Board of Directors a multi-year series of steep rate hikes for all bus and rail passengers. We rejected the proposed increases for 2017 and 2020, and ultimately approved a rate restructuring proposal that does raise base fares this year while creating a system that allows for free transfers, as is the case in many other cities. As part of the same restructuring package, we froze fares for students, and Im still pushing to freeze rates for seniors and the disabled. We also directed staff to dramatically expand promotion of Metro’s fare subsidy program, which provides a discount for low income passengers. (A shocking 60% of metro passengers make less than $15,000 a year, and 80% make less than $25,000). We also took steps to: create a position of Ratepayer Advocate; end the policy of criminalizing fare evasion among students; form a panel of experts to examine the agency’s long-term finances; and explore cuts in administration and raising revenue from parking and advertising. All told, we rejected 24 of 28 classifications of fare hikes and took some steps to improve the way the agency operates. A wise compromise, crafted by Mayor Eric Garcetti, Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas and Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky. But one that still stings, as Supervisor Gloria Molina and the Bus Riders Union made clear. Much more work to do to build a first-class mass transit system for all Angelenos, especially for the transit-dependent who rely on Metro to survive.
Posted on: Thu, 22 May 2014 22:53:18 +0000