We finally have some ridership numbers on the commuter rail, and it's a bit unsettling for bus riders who don't plan to ride it on up to Leander. In the latest American-Statesman piece, we see that the rail project is running over cost and past promised deadlines. OK, that's not news to anyone. What we learn is that the six cars that Capital Metro ordered from Switzerland have a total carrying capacity of 2-3,000 per day.

The BRU-ATX drafted the following at our September 13, 2008 monthly meeting and presented it to the Capital Metro Board of Directors at the September 29 board meeting.

September 29, 2008

To the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board of Directors:

"Capital Metro, however, makes a strong case that it needs a fare increase to maintain and expand the current level of service."

- Austin American-Statesman, May 15, 2008

Thanks to some of our members who called Capital Metro last week, we discovered that there will be a grace period for monthly passes. Fares will increase Oct. 13, but if you get 2-3 extra monthly passes now (fixed route is now $10 per month but will reach $18 per month), you can use them through the end of the year, December 31.

The $600 million plan to put streetcars back on to Austin streets is having public meetings this week and next! It's a proposal that promises to further gut bus system, the bulk of Capital Metro, for the benefit of the few streetcar riders. Please show up if you live close to these areas and care about your bus service!

Contact:
Austin Van Zant, (512) 934-2841
or
Glenn Gaven, (512) 220-8227
info@busatx.org

BUS RIDERS TO HOLD PRESS CONFERENCE ON HIGHER BUS FARES

The Bus Riders Union of Austin, Texas, ADAPT of Texas, PODER, and other community organizations today will address the public before the Capital Metro board of directors will take their final vote on raising transit fares.

When: 3:30 pm, today!

In late June, CNN reported that the US House of Representatives passed a bill appropriating $1.7 billion to lower transit fares and expand services. The bill has remained in the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs since then.

Capital Metro staff is at it again: being frustratingly obstructionist to an honest discussion of their finances. Last year we heard that they would encounter a $410 million shortfall. Then earlier this year, Capital Metro would come into a $600 million surplus over the next two decades. Then, last Monday, Councilmember Brewster McCracken started crying that Capital Metro will be broke yet again, despite the massive surplus, hence fare increases are necessary.

On Monday, around 60-70 bus riders came to state their case against any higher bus fares, a mandate that the Local Government Advisory Committee (LGAC) largely ignored, though not completely. Members of the disabled and elderly communities gained a partial victory when, at the last minute, an amendment was tacked on to eliminate the proposed 35 cent fares for seniors and the disabled. Though we can be happy that these fares remain unchanged, we must not stop until all fare increases are halted.

More PODER documents are now in HTML online, available at our PODER Documents page. These new documents are from PODER's BRU in the mid- to late 90's.

The Texas RioGrande Legal Aid has stated that the proposed Capital Metro Fare Increases Violate Civil Rights Act.