CTA Fare Hikes

I did a quick blurb about this yesterday. Perhaps a little more detail. Chi-Town Daily News shows us how much of a concern this fare hike could be in a time where a lot of people are cutting back:

“That stinks,” says Antonia “Nina” Alvarez, 34. She waited with her 2-year-old daughter, Maria, to catch an eastbound bus at the corner of Ashland and Chicago on yesterday afternoon. “We already cut back gas and now we will cut back on this. Everywhere you look prices are up and it hurts families the most. We need a break.”

More reaction from CTA riders:

CARON: I know gas prices are getting ridiculous but I think they can make things work. They just have so many people standing around doing nothing.

CHANEL: They should not raise fare because service tends to suck. And it's already ridiculous, you might as well drive for the price of the CTA.

There are some other items this fare increase will entail:

The CTA plans to boost fares to as much as $2.25, eliminate the bonus for Chicago Card users and hike the price of a 30-day pass to $90 on Jan. 1 under a proposed 2009 budget announced today
...
The biggest hit would be felt by Chicago Card and Chicago Card Plus customers, who according to a CTA analysis live in more affluent ZIP codes than riders who pay cash fares or use regular transit cards.

"Our Chicago Card customers are more elastic in their ability to absorb fare increases," said CTA President Ron Huberman.

Wait just one second I use the Chicago Card. I'm not so sure if I'm liking this news. So what might be the increased costs for those using the Chicago Card?

The increase would raise fares by as much as 50 cents a ride on the rail system and eliminate the 10 percent bonus on Chicago Cards.

The cost of riding the bus using a transit card or a Chicago Card increases from the current $1.75 to $2, and from $2 to $2.25 using cash under the proposal, which still must be approved by the CTA board. Rail rides using a Chicago Card will go from $1.75 to $2.25.

This Sun-Times article also has a chart of what fares are going to change if and when these changes will be adopted by the CTA. Everything isn't going to change. Reduced fares for students isn't going to change nor will the price of a transfer.

I stated yesterday that this shouldn't be a suprise to those who have kept an eye on this issue. Especially with fuel prices and the whole free rides thing. Oh here are more reader reactions...

"I realize that fares can't stay the same forever, but this one is totally unnecessary," said Tina Sheridan, 40, a regular CTA rider.  "It's all because of the free rides for seniors. I don't think it's fair for working people to pay for someone else to get a free ride," Sheridan said while waiting for a train at the State/Lake Station downtown.

Other riders said they would warm to a fare increase if it meant better service.

"The trains are packed and there is usually some problem, like the air-conditioning or the doors not working," said Brown Line rider Kurt James, 52, an accountant at a Loop firm.  "I don't think Chicago will ever have a modern, world-class transit system."

I just want to note that these fare increases has to be approved by the CTA board. If you're upset about it the next CTA Board meeting is scheduled for Oct. 29th. You can comment on both the budget and the fare increases. I will assume this is at CTA Headquarters at 567 W. Lake. Also the Chi-Town Daily News offers info on how we can communicate with the CTA about the fare increases and budget:

The Chicago Transit Board will consider approving the proposed budget at a November meeting. Written comments about the plan can be submitted to Gregory P. Longhini, assistant secretary of the board, CTA, P.O. Box 7567, Chicago, Ill., 60680. Comments can also be emailed to the CTA at ctaboard@transitchicago.com. The deadline to submit comments is Nov. 5.

If this matters to you then perhaps you should make your voice be heard.