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By Taylor Edelhart
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May. 22, 2009 |
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The city’s public transportation system is raising fares in addition to canceling and rerouting several bus lines in an attempt to close its anticipated deficit of almost $130 million.
The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency has suffered in the economic slump, which SFMTA executive director Nathaniel Ford has called the most “dire in more than a generation, and it is forcing policymakers to grapple with extremely difficult decisions that will, most assuredly, affect many, many people,” according to a May 13 San Francisco Chronicle article.
Some local politicians feel the new Muni budget is unfair to passengers. “The most troubling part of the MTA’s budget is the combination of fare increases, service reductions and payments from Muni’s budget to other departments for unrelated services,” David Noyola, aide to District 3 Supervisor David Chiu, stated in an e-mail; Chiu is one of the main opponents of the SFMTA’s proposed budget.
Fares will go up twice in the next year. Effective July 1, adult fares will increase from $1.50 to $2 and youth, senior and disabled persons’ fares will increase from 50 cents to 75 cents; the adult monthly passes will increase from $45 to $55 and the youth, senior and disabled persons’ passes will increase from $10 to $15.
On Jan. 1 of 2010, the adult monthly passes will increase to $60 from $45, and the youth, senior and disabled persons’ passes will cost $20 instead of the original $10. Those who use their pass on BART will also have to pay an additional $10, as opposed to the present system of being able to use the pass as a BART ticket for no extra cost.
According to the May 13 article, the revenue from the service reductions and fare increases are expected to total a little over $10 million, which will be used as part of the operating budget for the agency during the ’09-’10 fiscal year.
Eight bus lines, including the 74-X Culture Bus and 26-Valencia, will be canceled, while dozens of other bus lines will have their lines shortened or have their hours modified. Two of the lines most frequented by Lowell students will be changed in ways that will not affect the student population.
Beginning in the fall, the N-Judah will no longer transport passengers along Embarcadero Street on weekends, and the 29-Sunset will no longer operate in the Presidio north of Baker Beach. Similar changes will be made to other bus lines across San Francisco, including the 1-California, 2-Clement, 10-Townsend, 12-Folsom/Pacific, 18-46th Avenue, 21- Hayes, 36-Teresita, 38-Geary, 41-Union, 67-Bernal Heights, 88-BART Shuttle, and 108-Treasure Island, details of which can be found on the SFMTA’s Web site (www.sfmta.com).
Many students, however, are not troubled by the modified bus routes, but instead are concerned about the sudden increase in the price of youth passes.
“The last time they raised the fare, it wasn’t that bad, but now that they’re raising the youth pass fare — this is going to be really painful,” junior Juliette Jones said.
Others understand why prices are being increased but are adamant that the new increased revenue will be used effectively. “I approve of the fee raise if the money’s going toward fixing the system,” English teacher Lorna Galang-McMahon said.
Sophomore Jeremy Gaines expressed a similar sentiment but was still unhappy with the fare raise. “I can see where they’re coming from, but it’s starting to rise out of the realm for a reasonable fare,” he said. “I don’t think there is an easy solution.”
The majority of the revenue linked with the fee increase will contribute towards balancing out the projected $128,900,000 deficit the agency currently deals with, according to SFMTA representative Kristen Holland.
Steps have been taken by local government to increase the impact of the new revenue on transportation services. “As a result of an agreement reached between the MTA and Supervisor Chiu, the MTA committed to reprogram 10.3 million for service improvements,” Noyola stated.
Despite efforts to reroute money toward transportation improvement, a number of students are still prepared to cut down on how frequently they use public transit.
Sophomore Brianna Lam said that the higher fares might encourage her to walk or bike more, and that she is cautious of prices escalating any further. “If it goes to two dollars for children, that’s way too much,” she said. “I’d stop taking (Muni).”
The SFMTA is aware of a potential decline in passengers. “It’s possible that our ridership will abandon us and we’ll get into a downward spiral,” Oakland’s AC Transit director Greg Harper said in the May 13 article.
Regardless of increasing prices, many students will continue to use Muni as their primary method of transportation. “Considering that my family doesn’t own a car, I will probably never stop riding Muni,” Jones said.
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