Pierce Transit’s adult bus fare is going up from $1.75 to $2.00 on November 1st, with proportional increases in other adult fare products. Youth, senior, Olympia Express, and shuttle fares are unchanged. PT will also charge on Thanksgiving and Christmas for the first time.
The board approved the increase in September, the first one since January 2009. Vanpool fares are also changed.
Not to be a contrarian this morning, but what if the headline read:
“Pierce Transit Wages To Go Up Monday”
Would the text still tout the last wage increase as “the first one since January of 2009”.
That’s more than 12 percent during a time when inflation was flat. Transit riders are hurting too, not just the balance sheets of our local transit agencies.
Many non-transit riders are all for raising the fares to cover the cost of the service, while one could make the case that transit should be a basic service of society, therefore free.
I keep coming at this debate from a fairly conservative perspective. Is transit (all of it) spending precious tax dollars in the wisest of investments?
I have to wonder sometimes when I see renderings for converting a wooden platform in Tukwila into another station equaling the grandeur of TIBS in a statement of public wealth (or Taj Mahal) if you prefer.
The wooden platform will not last 50-100 years. When we start grinding up I-5 and I-405 at mid-century because they are no longer viable, we’ll need that “grandiose” station at Tukwila
I agree. That wooden platform is certainly showing its age. It’s supposed to be a temporary platform anyway. I remember when the yellow ribbon thing in the fence was actually yellow…
http://projects.soundtransit.org/Projects-Home/Sounder-Station-and-Service-Improvements/Tukwila-Station—Sounder.xml
But on the other hand, why do they need to build the skybridge? Isn’t there enough space to build an underpass instead?
You really think we’ll be riding 45 mph light rail in 2050?