Bus Riders Union of Austin, Texas | El Sindicato de Pasajeros

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Dear Capital Metro directors,

I am disappointed that Capital Metro is again wanting to increase bus fares. You wish to increase the fares from 50 cents to 75 cents by this fall and to $1 by 2010. It's a step in the wrong direction.

Last fall, we were told repeatedly that increasing fares was the only way to prevent the bus company from slipping into bankruptcy. However, last month staff unveiled a 20 year plan that includes a $240 million surplus from increased fares. With this surplus to the bus company comes negative effects to transportation as more old, polluting cars make it to the road since people will need to find transportation alternatives, and these clunkers provide a disproportionately high amount of air pollution. And we also know that increasing fares has zero correlation with improved services.

But $240 million for the bus company isn't reason to raise the fares. For any public agency, maximizing revenue is equivalent to maximizing cost to taxpayers, and raising fares would also increase congestion and worsen our already bad air quality. We have an alternative: make all transit fares free! As the Bus Riders Union of Austin outlined in their Free and Faster Buses proposal, the bus company would actually SAVE money by eliminating fares since certain services and departments would become obsolete in the system. And $240 million in increased fare revenue pales in comparison to the money gained by taxpayers through increased productivity and improving our air quality.

I want Austin to be a leader in public transit. Please adopt the Free and Faster Buses Proposal for a more livable city.

Thank you,