Our View: Metra's fare hike? It's fair
Metra is poised to raise rates for occasional and weekend riders in 2010. Commuters who buy monthly passes or 10-ride cards will not be affected by the rate increases.
We think this is acceptable way to help cover rising costs – it's certainly better than an across-the-board rate hike or a fee or tax increase that affects people who may never use Metra.
Rides on the commuter rail line will still be affordable, particularly for families who use the train to gain easy access to Chicago on the weekends.
Under Metra's plan, one-way fares would increase about 6 percent, pushing up ticket prices by 10 cents to 45 cents, depending on the length of the trip. A weekend pass – good for unlimited rides Saturday and Sunday – would increase from $5 to $7 for adults and children over 11. The changes also increases, from $2 to $5, the penalty for buying tickets on board a train when a ticket booth is open at a station.
Metra's budget also calls for leaving 150 positions open, freezing management salaries, and increasing the health insurance premiums for nonunion employees.
A family of four with two children under 11 can still get to downtown Chicago for $14 – less than they'd pay just to park a car in the Millennium Park garage on the weekend. A family with two teenagers in tow gets downtown for $28 – slightly more than they'd pay to park. Never mind the mental cost of a drive into downtown Chicago.
There are still discounts aplenty on Metra. Children under 11 ride free with a ticketed adult on weekends and certain holidays. On weekdays, children 7 to 11 save 50 percent on one-way fares; children under 7 ride free with a fare-paying adult. Senior citizens ride for free (at least for the moment). Active military personnel and students also receive a discount.
While a fee hike is never something to celebrate, the fact is that costs do rise. Businesses pass these costs on to customers. Too often, governments pass these costs on to taxpayers with blanket increases. We think one of the better ways to offset a cost increase is to pass it on to only those who use a given service.
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