Bus schmus.

[rootofnewt]

I'm rather irritated by the new bus fee schedule.

The bus currently costs $0.75 cents a ride. Two-hour free transfers are available, but they can only be used at certain transfer spots and you can't use them for a round-trip. Fair enough, though annoying after DC's awesome transfer system.

Books of bus tickets were also available. Each ticket cost about $0.60 and one ticket worked for a ride (or ride + transfer). I bought ticket books because they meant I didn't have to have exact change on hand.

They're phasing out the ticket books altogether. And transfers. Now a bus ride will be $0.75 and a day pass will be $1.50. If you want a transfer, you have to buy a day pass. So no more free transfers.

Now I get they need to raise cash somehow, but my typical bus fare just more than doubled. I rarely take more than two buses a day. When I do, I might use a transfer. But I rarely get back on for a round trip. I either walk one direction and ride the other, or I get on the bus with Ronan for fun. Or I'm too tired to walk back home after wandering all day. I know that I'm not a typical user, but that doesn't make me any less disgruntled.

I can live without the free transfers and I wouldn't complain too much about a moderate fare increase, but I want the damn tickets to stay. If they don't want to print tickets, they can introduce a token system. Whatever. I won't take the bus at all if I have to have cash on hand. It just won't happen. I don't plan ahead that way. And since this town still has plenty of free parking options, I'll be yet one more person causing parking congestion here and there.

Comments

[starplucker.livejournal.com]

You're going to make me feel guilty about have a UVA ID and therefore free CTS transportation... and still not using it that often.

[krasota.livejournal.com]

Here, let me aim the guilt gun at you.

[crazypumpkin.livejournal.com]

This sounds like a great thing to bring up to a local representative. Particularly that since there is so much free parking, by charging more for the bus, they've now added another car back onto the road.
This kind of crap just doesn't make sense to me.

[lightning-rose.livejournal.com]

Don't do that or TPTB will start charging for parking!

[twopiearr.livejournal.com]

could be worse - in LA they did this 5 years ago, except at $1.25 for a ticket and $4 for a pass.

[lupusyondergir1.livejournal.com]

Wow, your public transit is cheap!! It's $1.85 here (they tack on .35 if you change "zones", like from the city to the burbs)

We also have monthly passes, though. It's a card you swipe, $68 for all the rides you want. Our transfer system is different, though. You can go from any bus to the train for free, or to another bus for like a quarter, within the hour.

I'm lucky, my school gives me a free unlimited metro pass. Granted, they are also charging me $30K a year in tuition, so I'm sure I pay for it somehow...

[sheilamarie.livejournal.com]

Don't you hate when things work well, those dang politicians go and screw it all up??

I simply ADORED DC's metro. It made me want to move there just so I could use it. Then I came home and was all annoyed about having to drive everywhere. I don't leave the house often because I hate driving. I'd go out more if I had a nice light rail station or even reliable bus transportation available to me.

I WANT A METRO SYSTEM IN THE GREATER TAMPA AREA!!! ;)

[pixiecrinkle.livejournal.com]

Columbus' bus system uses only exact change, or passes (day/week/month). A single ride is $1.50 or day pass is I think $3.75.

The last few times many of us brought up the idea of tokens, or better yet, reusable, prepaid passes (like NYC, Chicago, and probably other cities use) the rationale for not doing that was that the cost to set up the infrastructure and equipment for that kind of thing vastly outweighed the benefits in the term that the system could afford it for. Which sucks. It sounds like at least some of that infrastructure should be in place for you all though, if they used tickets in the past.

[compostwormbin.livejournal.com]

Sounds like they planned poorly.