Mike Branom of the East Valley Tribune wrote a very interesting article recently titled; What next for light rail? Let arguing start – (yes, I was extremely grateful for the mention but, that's not really the subject of this post) In the article Mike points out the power that the City of Phoenix has in making decisions concerning the future of the proposed fare increase which is on the table. It was mentioned that Tempe Mayor Hugh Hallman has proposed looking in to merging Metro (light rail) and Valley Metro (buses, local and express; and dial-a-ride) to try and save tax payers a couple million a year. The article goes on to mention that "A vote was taken whether to study the idea: Everyone was in favor, except Phoenix. Because that city has a vote weighted to 50 percent, the nay had it. And that was that. (Phoenix has, by far, the most track and investment)
From what I recall of the proposed fare hikes, the City of Phoenix has already voted in favor while I believe the city of Tempe is in opposition. I'm not clear on Mesa's position but I have been in contact with James Tevault who is familiar with Mesa's economic and tourism departments. While neither James or I are sure of Mesa's position on the fare increase, we did talk of possible benefits of an extension of light rail down Main street. "It has to be Main Street" said Tevault, "they have tried everything for the last 20,30,40 years" to re-energize downtown Mesa and nothing has worked. There are some great art museum's, hotels, attractions and plenty of potential but not enough traffic.
This brings me back to more questions:
Will a potential decrease in ridership due to fare increase hinder future expansion?
Will people lose interest in the new system if it is not as "affordable?"
Is $5.00 really too much for an all day pass? (other cities are $4, $5, $6)
Who should have the final say? How is it really determined?
With the ridership numbers as strong as they are and the economic activity along the line as strong as it appears, what do you think is the best choice? Do you agree with Phoenix? Do you agree with Tempe? Do you just agree to disagree all together? Who knows…
One thing for sure, we will hear a decision on the rate increase soon.
They should just get advertising ads on or near the rail trains.That should help keep the rates low.
As I’ve said in previous comments, the new fare proposal is not greatly at odd with national norms. My main concern is about making the day pass cost more than two single-ride tickets. Right now, it’s easy to explain that anyone needing to ride more than one way in a single day needs to get a pass. With this new proposal, everything get more complicated and more intimidating to infrequent riders.
As for the question of merging the transit agencies, I’m all in favor of that, and I’m puzzled by Phoenix’s opposition. In most cities, there’s a single agency and brand name for all modes of transit. Here, things are segregated both by mode of transport and by city. I think a lot of this may be caught up in a Phoenix/Tempe rivalry. That’s a shame because Central Phoenix and Tempe together form the urban core of the Phoenix Metropolitan Area. Hallman and Gordon need to settle their differences so their two cities can get together and gang up on Scottsdale as payback for that city’s non-participation in light rail;)
I agree that merging the transit agencies certainly seems to make sense, but I’m not so sure about the pass price increase. I don’t think it would be particularly confusing, for the record, although perhaps I’m overestimating infrequent users’ intelligence. I think that until the line is extended and therefore more useful, a fare increase would not seem like good value to users. Of course many riders will need only buy two one-way tickets, and the passes can be used on the bus system to extend their usefulness, but it remains a concern nonetheless.
I don’t know about a fare increase. I think raising the fares this soon into the game will cause the novelty to wear off pretty quickly. The people who would have tried it just because it is new may not be as likely to give it a try at a higher price. If they wanted higher fares they should have done it from the beginning because people were going to try it anyway.
Also, as dissatisfied as people are with government projects in general (“the stimulus package”) I think that any move by government of any kind that will cost people more money right now will be perceived as BAD.
On the other hand, something like the Rail could be what Mesa FINALLY needs to get people to visit its downtown. The city does have quite a bit to offer, but it isn’t convenient enough for most people to make it a destination. Maybe the Rail would help.
I don’t know about a fare increase. I think raising the fares this soon into the game will cause the novelty to wear off pretty quickly. The people who would have tried it just because it is new may not be as likely to give it a try at a higher price. If they wanted higher fares they should have done it from the beginning because people were going to try it anyway.
Also, as dissatisfied as people are with government projects in general (“the stimulus package”) I think that any move by government of any kind that will cost people more money right now will be perceived as BAD.
On the other hand, something like the Rail could be what Mesa FINALLY needs to get people to visit its downtown. The city does have quite a bit to offer, but it isn’t convenient enough for most people to make it a destination. Maybe the Rail would help.