Unsuck DC Metro: Happy Fare Hike!

Friday, June 29, 2012

Happy Fare Hike!

Starting Sunday, Metro fares are going up yet again.

A fare hike would certainly be more palatable if accompanied by a commensurate rise in Metro performance, but I just haven't seen that with past fare hikes.

Will the new fares change your Metro usage, or will you just grin and bear it?

Oh, and if you were hoping an increased federal transit benefit might take the edge off, you can forget about that.

Previous fare increases:
Feb. 28, 2010
August, 2010

At the current rate, you have to think another hike won't be far off.

Note: I'll be off next week. Happy 4th and keep your stories coming.

Other items:
Will federal oversight make a difference? (Examiner) Here's the legislation. Relevant language starts at page 313.

Comments (49)

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+3 Vote up Vote down

UnSuck Fan · 664 weeks ago

If we were to breed Rush Plus and this coming Sunday’s fare hike, wouldn’t we be getting POTP again? Of course since POTP has already been used, Upper Management had better come up with another new, shiny name. New name = new spin = same sh!tty service!

1 reply · active 663 weeks ago

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Anon · 663 weeks ago

Would federal oversight make a difference?

Yes federal oversight would make a difference if the feds would mandate the hiring of competent workers from all 3 states. Mandate all races of workers in operations HR and Training and get rid of the racists.
The federal government needs to be kept accountable for the cleaning up of the hiring, promotion and training at metro.

Fair and unbiased promotions across the board for all races should me mandated.
Those who continually fail drug tests should be given the opportunity to work other jobs.

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guest · 664 weeks ago

-scratching head- i just put my regular commute in--it only went up 10 cents. (and i'm riding from the end of a line.)

i must have done it wrong.

4 replies · active 664 weeks ago

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jkuchen · 664 weeks ago

It's the removal of the peak-of-the-peak that is giving you (and me too) the smaller increase. For those at other times, the increase is larger. For those still using paper passes, it's going to be unbearable. I guess that's the idea....

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Alex · 664 weeks ago

I'm a lucky exception, but my fare is actually going down. I live in the inner zone which gives me the minimum possible (non-disability) fare at a given time of day, and I commute during the former "peak-of-the-peak" hours. My commute used to be $2.15 each way, and now it will be $2.10 each way.

Of course, the base-level off-peak fare spiked up from $1.60 to $1.95, which I'm not particularly happy about.

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slb · 664 weeks ago

same with me. I'll do better during the daily commute, but weekend or night-time travel will probably cost more. My plan is to try and bike or take the bus more, especially when the weather's nice and/or I'm traveling between safe locations.

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Everly Broke-a-non · 664 weeks ago

Probably. Mine goes up around $6 a week now. I do hope you are right though. Be nice to know at least one of us isn't being completey screwed yet again. :)

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Kid Charlemagne · 664 weeks ago

I'm getting perilously close to giving up METRO once and for all. I am now looking into carpool options. There is absolutely no hope for METRO.

1 reply · active 664 weeks ago

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jkuchen · 664 weeks ago

Oh, but we'll have more federal oversight now--of course that will help, right?

+4 Vote up Vote down

@VeggieTart · 664 weeks ago

At least they are getting rid of the peak-of-the-peak, which didn't serve its purpose because most people don't have the option of changing their work hours so they don't get screwed by Metro's ridiculous fare structure.

2 replies · active 664 weeks ago

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16 cents · 664 weeks ago

Pretty sure it did serve it's purpose -- to charge us more for nothing

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@VeggieTart · 664 weeks ago

Let me rephrase that: Which didn't serve Metro's stated purpose of getting people to use Metro at less busy times.

+10 Vote up Vote down

John · 664 weeks ago

So if this garbage they are passing off as a rush hour upgrade is Rush+
Then is this fare increase gonna be called Fare-?

Also, that "fare hike protest" was just a bunch of Jackie Jeter BS.

Enjoy your vacation, unsuck. Without you (or FixWmata for that matter) keeping a watch on Metro.... we have to rely on Dr. Gridlock....

YIKES!!!

+10 Vote up Vote down

Ellen · 664 weeks ago

This Blue line rider (Franconia to Farragut West) is just so excited to be paying more money for worse service. In the evenings, especially. If I don't get to Farragut at just the right time, I could be waiting up to 20 minutes, from the wait times I've seen on the overhead signs. Deplorable.

+12 Vote up Vote down

BrianKal · 664 weeks ago

yesterday cost me $5.10 to go ballston-gallery place with a collegue. Took 25mins there, 35back.

Should have and could have driven and:
Paid $0 for 2 hrs of parking .. no meters by Capitol on most streets.
Easily done it in half the time.
Actually had the air con on, not the heat.

Thanks for nothing WMATA.

2 replies · active 664 weeks ago

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BrianKal · 664 weeks ago

sorry, should say ballston-capitol south**

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Sam · 664 weeks ago

No you couldn't. I'll say it. There is no way in hell you can make it from Ballston to the Hill (assuming you'd park there since you said there are no meters) in 12.5 to 17.5 minutes on a weekday. Absolutely not.

If you take 66, you might get to the river in 20 minutes. If you're speeding excessively on 66, you MIGHT get to the light at Constitution and 17th in 20 minutes. There's no way you'd get to Chinatown in less than 20 minutes. And there is ABSOLUTELY no way you'd get to the Capitol to park in less than 20 minutes. Even if it was 1:00 am and every light was green, by time you park by the Capitol, you still have to walk to Gallery Place, which on its own takes over 20 minutes.

A 25-minute Metro ride from Ballston to Gallery Place is much, much faster than via car.

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Mike · 664 weeks ago

From the referenced article above,

"I can't understand what's going on with that," said D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, a Democrat. "I'm not sure why we would want to encourage more driving. It's subsidizing driving."

It doesn't make sense that the maximum tax free benefit on parking would be $240 and the maximum tax free benefit on public transportation is $125. Also, this is not a benefit for just Federal workers. Any employer can take advantage of offering this tax free benefit to their employees.

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Mike · 664 weeks ago

I would like to try a vanpool, but have been unable to find any in my area. I live by Fair Oaks Mall. I would love to switch from riding Metro to a vanpool. Does anyone know of a good place to find vanpools for my area. Google doesn't seem to provide me what I'm looking for.

6 replies · active 664 weeks ago

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UnSuck Fan · 664 weeks ago

I have no clue if this would be of any help. I always hear commercials for the first company, but I haven't heard any for the second.

Commuter Connections http://www.mwcog.org/commuter2/

Rideshare Online http://www.rideshareonline.com/

I didn't have a chance to look at either site thoroughly so just be aware.

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Guest · 664 weeks ago

Mike--I live in that area also and spent several hours looking for van pools. I don't think we live far enough from DC. Everything I found was for the outer counties.

Someone suggested VRE but I think driving to the Burke station would be counter-productive.

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Stephanie · 664 weeks ago

I drive to the Burke Station from Centreville and it's great. It's easier to get to/from than Vienna, traffic-wise. I take the 6:08 train in and the 3:51 train out. My office allows us to work on the train as part of the day, so I work on the way in, which isn't possible on metro.

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Guest · 664 weeks ago

Hi Stephanie,

Maybe I'll give it a try this summer. It's a quick and easy drive to Vienna for me but VRE has free parking and it's not Metro.

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Stephanie · 664 weeks ago

Exactly, it's not metro :) Give it a shot. The staff is very friendly and customer-oriented, they run on time, I'm a big fan. Overall just a more pleasant, less gross experience.

Only thing you have to be careful of is to make sure you validate your ticket for each ride (unless you love it and buy a monthly). It's a $181 ticket for fare evasion if you forget.

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jkuchen · 664 weeks ago

Mike, you might want to try NuRide as well: http://www.nuride.com . Not only will they give you rewards for the mass transit that you use now, but also you can check for people doing a similar commute and see if they would want to set something up.

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Jack · 664 weeks ago

Even with the fare hike, it still costs me 1/3 as much as parking for work. Granted metro provides 3 times the headaches as driving.

Same amount of time to drive as metro.
I can play my music loud and that makes me happy.
A happy me is a more productive employee.

If the parking = metro I would abandon the trains tomorrow. And absorb the gas costs as the price of happiness.

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jkuchen · 664 weeks ago

I loved the bit in the Examiner piece about the new oversight where one of the parties wanted more state oversight instead of federal oversight. Evidently that Member of Congress hasn't heard of interstate compacts!

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JimS · 664 weeks ago

Re VeggieTart's comment, I never thought the purpose of peak-of-the-peak pricing was to shift commuters to less-busy times. I thought the purpose was to take more money out of commuters' wallets. Most people's jobs don't have enough scheduling flexibility and Metro knows this.

6 replies · active 664 weeks ago

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RGG · 664 weeks ago

When Metro first instituted the "Peak of the Peak" charge, they actually did tout it as a way to get people to spread out their commutes as a way to save a little money--the 20 cents surcharge. A way, according to them, to help alleviate some of the "crush" during the heaviest commuting times. But, as you noted, that type of scheduling flexibility just doesn't happen for too many people.

One thing I notice all the time is how lots of people waste money when entering the system at the end of Rush Hour. I see people enter the faregates at between 9:25 or 9:29--a couple of minutes before the fares drop at 9:30--only to go down to the platform and catch the very same train they would have caught if they had waited the extra couple of minutes and entered--with the overhead signs indicating when the next train leaves, many people could save money if they pay attention and wait a couple of minutes before entering. Those trips add up, and why in the world would anyone want to give Metro any more money than he has to??!!

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Everly Broke-a-non · 664 weeks ago

You cannot guarantee that extra 60 second wait will get you on that same train. :/

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RGG · 664 weeks ago

Depends. The trains are actually supposed to be on a time schedule. This works better at end of line stations, but where I come in at, Branch Avenue, there is a train that leaves every morning at 9:34 a.m. It isn't difficult to process a farecard in at 9:31 and catch that train.

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Chris · 664 weeks ago

Except you can't trust the displays. I always mentally +/- 3 minutes for whatever the signs say.

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RGG · 664 weeks ago

That's correct, which is why I should have added that it works best at end of line stations, though at many other stations it's still possible to wait outside the faregates until the train begins to arrive at the station. Then process your card and go in. The end of line trains are supposed to leave following a time schedule and that time is normally the same each day. Now, after the trains get down town, well......anything can happen!!!

+4 Vote up Vote down

Mike · 664 weeks ago

I think the peak of the peak surcharge actually had both purposes - raise money by charging rush-hour commuters more, while encouraging the (relatively few) people who could shift their commuting time to do so. I don't think the latter worked particularly well, which is probably why they decided to drop it.

My commute actually costs exactly the same under the new fare structure - eliminating peak-of-the-peak perfectly offsets the increase in the base rate.

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SammyDC · 664 weeks ago

Perhaps I tempt fate by posting that my fare actually goes down a dime a day due to the end of peak-of-the-peak. If WMATA were to figure out that those commuters with very short rides (e.g., Rosslyn to MetroCenter) have a cheaper fare as of 7/1, I expect they would come up with some new additional scheme.

Unsuck -- enjoy your time off (and away from the subway) next week!

+4 Vote up Vote down

@perkinsms · 664 weeks ago

If you ride rail and bus, look into the Transit Link card offered by Maryland MTA. $199 for unlimited metrorail, metrobus, rideon, and baltimore transit.

7 replies · active 664 weeks ago

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unsuckdcmetro 92p · 664 weeks ago

How is that loophole possible?

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@perkinsms · 664 weeks ago

agreement between wmata and MTA maryland, combined with only increasing the cost of the MTA pass with inflation, combined with other wmata fares going up faster than inflation, combined with NO ONE PAYING ATTENTION

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yasminealq 0p · 664 weeks ago

That's what I use! Well only during the summer when I have to commute from Silver Spring station to Ballston... It was like $190 last year and went up $9, but it still saves me a ton of money.
https://mta.maryland.gov/pass-store

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Sam · 664 weeks ago

$208.50. It's increasing by $9 on 7/1.

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@Hell_on_wheelz · 664 weeks ago

Still showing as 199.50 as of this morning (7/2) on MTA's online store. Probably no one has thought to update the price yet.

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OL Rider · 664 weeks ago

I always wondered about this loophole. Is it for Maryland residents only?

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@Hell_on_wheelz · 664 weeks ago

according to the info here: http://www.mta.maryland.gov/marc-transit-link-car... "TLC can also be purchased at one of the Commuter Stores in Virginia."

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jimlcunningham 80p · 664 weeks ago

The stuff under "Other items" is interesting too - the Federal Transportation Bill putting safety Regulations on Metro.

We need a Train Passengers' Bill of Rights is what we need.

1 reply · active 664 weeks ago

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@Hell_on_wheelz · 664 weeks ago

One more thing for WMATA to spin and pay lip service to?

We already have RAC (which was supposed to give riders direct representation and access to the Board).

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guest · 664 weeks ago

OT: loudoun votes for dulles rail:
http://wtop.com/159/2929171/Loudoun-votes-to-move...

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Guest · 663 weeks ago

There was an item in this morning's Washington Post that a train on the green line had stalled; passengers waited, there were no announcements from the driver, (as usual) no information whether Metro was going to do anything. Meanwhile, the temperature was rising and people were sweltering. They forced the doors open and got out, most started walking towards the nearest station, College Park.

Metro spokesman said that a rescue train had been sent and would have been there, but with people on the tracks they had to turn off the power, which shut down the Green Line completely.

Metro's position is that people should have waited to be rescued. My question is, with no information that help was on the way and going by Metro's past record, passengers couldn't count on there being any help before they passed out from the heat.

If it's illegal to leave a DOG in a car, why is it all right for Metro to leave people in a stalled train with no AC for an indefinite period of time?

1 reply · active 663 weeks ago

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HellOnWheelz · 663 weeks ago

Except Metro lied about the sequence of events. The rescue train was dispatched and it ALSO died. The train operator, unable to contact central first asked passengers to "call downtown" on their cells and then told at least 2 passengers in the first car to evacuate. Passengers left the train AFTER the rescue train was also downed and after at least some had been told to do so. This timeline is consistent with the tweets that were being sent AND the wusa9 interviews with passengers aired Tuesday evening. Wapo and Metro PR's stories are fabricated coverups.

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Tommyboy74 · 662 weeks ago

Metro lying is nothing new. It's a requirement for them.

If I were the GM, this is what would happen:
1) Slash salaries and get rid of non-essential positions.
2) Eliminate the ATU. Poor old Jackie can shut up and cry me a river.
3) Implement customer service. If an employee treats a customer like crap, they're accountable and can be fired instead of hiding behind the union.
4) Award operation of all 5 lines to a company such as Bombardier, Alstom, Kawasaki, etc. That means all current employees would have to interview with them and if they don't make the grade, too bad.
5) Award maintenance of all railcars to those same such companies (Bombardier, Alstom, Kawasaki, etc). Same thing- if current employees don't make the grade, too bad.
6) Eliminate the in-house elevator/escalator crews and award it to a company such as Schindler, Kone, ThyssenKrupp, VTX, etc. As the others, if employees don't make the cut, they're gone.
7) Fire the board and replace the board with an election, run once a year. Maximum 4 year term limit. Also, it would be common people like ourselves instead of the political hacks that are on both sides of the aisle.
8) Make meetings available at convenient times to actually allow the public to come out and voice opinions.

Even better is with sourcing those operations out, if an employee does something stupid, they get fired. No grievance process, no crying like a baby to the union. It forces everyone to grow up and accept responsibility. Also in cities such as Toronto and London which have outsourced operations, delays have been reduced while service and reliability have improved. Plus, bad employees no longer have the union safety net. If they suck, they're gone. Simple as that.

Unfortunately, this is Metro. As long as Sarles, and the morons at the ATU are around, the system will be handcuffed. That means anything logical won't happen.