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"I believe the [Twin Cities Metropolitan] Council is facing the challenges that every other form of government is facing right now. We're all being hit with huge challenges from gas prices, and their response is clearly that they need to cut somewhere. I understand that. But sometimes you make a short-term gain that turns into long-term pain. That's what I believe is happening. That there's a cut I can make that can help me balance the budget this year but five years from now it'll be a bad idea. That's what I believe this is about. This one short-term idea to temporarily bring more revenue into the farebox will turn off more riders. If instead we say in this period of time we're going to hold the prices stable, but we're going to really aggressively reach out and try to get more riders . . . there will be more people off our roads, less congestion, better for the climate, better for gas prices."

- Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak

MPR: Rybak opposes bus fare increase

by Tom Crann, Minnesota Public Radio
July 9, 2008

St. Paul, Minn. - A proposal to raise fares on Metro Transit buses and trains is under fire from Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak.

Rybak told Metropolitan Council officials at a public hearing today the hike will hurt transit ridership.

Metro Transit wants to raise fares by 25 cents in October, to help offset rising fuel costs and plug shortfalls in the regional transit budget. A second part of the proposal would raise fares again sometime in 2009.

According to Metro Transit, bus and train ridership is the highest it has been in 25 years.

MPR's Tom Crann talked with Rybak about his concerns.