Ann Arbor Transportation Authority to raise bus fares starting in May
Starting May 2, Ann Arbor Transportation Authority bus riders will be paying more in bus fare.
The AATA is raising its basic adult fare from $1.25 to $1.50. The move also raises the fare from 60 cents to 75 cents for K-12 students, seniors ages 60-64 and reduced fare riders.Â
Senior and A-Ride card holders will continue to ride for free. 30-day Flex Passes, Value Passes, Day Passes, tokens and paratransit fares will also increase. For a complete list, click here.
“Despite cutting more than $900,000 to balance the 2010 fiscal year budget, AATA still faces the challenges of reduced revenue at a time when the demand for quality public transit solutions is greater than ever,” CEO Michael Ford said in a press release.
The increase is Phase 2 of AATA’s two-year fare adjustment. Phase 1 started last May and raised basic fare from $1 to $1.25 and raised reduced rates from 50 cents to 60 cents.
Mary Stasiak, the AATA’s manager of community relations, said 40 percent of the bus system’s revenue comes from Ann Arbor city taxes - but a five-year projection shows a decrease in property tax due to lower property values and the loss of Pfizer property on the tax rolls. She said the problem isn't unique to Ann Arbor.
“AATA is not alone in facing these financial challenges,” she said. “Across the nation, transit systems have had to raise fares.”
The AATA said it has already taken measures to reduce expenses as much as possible, including:
- Purchasing hybrid electric buses to reduce fuel consumption.
- Eliminating 15 employees since 2006 and increasing part-time drivers.
- Switching to voice over Internet protocol.
- Changing to a more cost-effective health care plan.
- Converting employees’ post-retirement health care plans to a portable defined contribution health care savings plan.
The AATA said it also plans to upgrade its energy management system to reduce gas and electricity costs.
Comments
Atticus F.
Thu, Apr 22, 2010 : 1:55 p.m.
Every time I ride the bus into work it's standing room only. If the bus is constantly full of people, and still not able to operate without subsidies, then there would be no point in even manufacturing buses.
krc
Thu, Apr 22, 2010 : 11:46 a.m.
re: the rise in fare - at least now all riders need to carry is quarters so they don't have to fish around for loose change.
Anonymous Due to Bigotry
Wed, Apr 21, 2010 : 4:14 p.m.
I can't say I've ridden the bus very often (usually I've ridden it on off-hours if so) but the problem is not so much how many people you see on the bus as much as what percentage of residents use it. The whole thing seems like a catch 22, because for more people to use the bus you'd need to get commute times way down from 45-60 minutes. This would require some massive increase in the number of buses and routes which might not significantly lower the 40% subsidy required but would make that 40% much larger. This is why I say that buses aren't really cost effective except in dense urban environments. By cost effective I don't mean that the buses have to operate at a profit (I agree that that never seems to happen anywhere) but the "loss" per fare has to be acceptable and the cost to people who don't ride the bus has to be acceptable. So AATA may be doing pretty well given the environment they operate in, but I suspect the environmental constraints would ever allow 20 minute commute times that would be needed for the fantasy level of ridership at the cost effectiveness that people would like to see.
John Q
Wed, Apr 21, 2010 : 3:57 p.m.
Actually, almost every rural community in the state runs a transit system. It costs a lot of money to run, it never covers its costs and the riders usually pay nothing to use it. Yet almost no one ever complains about this transit system. Why? Because it's the buses that pick up kids and take them to school in the morning and bring them home at night and shuttle them to various activities in neighboring communities. Without that transit system, the rural public school system couldn't exist.
Steve Bean
Wed, Apr 21, 2010 : 12:01 p.m.
John Q., I've been wondering the same thing since reading a similar piece by transit advocate Larry Krieg last year. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find it online to link to it.
Woman in Ypsilanti
Wed, Apr 21, 2010 : 11:36 a.m.
I love public transportation but have to admit there is a lot of room for improvement. I would like to see expanded hours and maybe some Ypsilanti-Ann Arbor express buses. :)
krc
Wed, Apr 21, 2010 : 10:26 a.m.
Stephen: AATA didn't 'abandon' their space at Arborland. They lost their lease and the hoity toity Arborland bosses refused to renew it.
Stephen Landes
Wed, Apr 21, 2010 : 10:04 a.m.
About 20 years ago I found myself working for a company in Ann Arbor. I was really pleased and I planned to sell one of our cars so I could take the bus to work. My trip during rush hour was 13 minutes in those days via car. Imagine my surprise when I checked out the bus to find it was 45 minutes! Needless to say, I kept my car and saved a lot of time in the process. Well, I just visited the AATA website and used their trip planner to find out what the trip would take today. Our brilliant bus system would now take me 67 minutes to get to work. So we are in the range of 50% WORSE today than 20 years ago. I note that part of the problem is that I would have to change buses at Meijer on Carpenter Rd instead of at Arborland in the good old days. Maybe this is because AATA in its infinite wisdom abandoned the transfer site within Arborland so that people now have to walk ACROSS Washtenaw avenue to get to Arborland stores? This level of brilliance doesn't deserve to be rewarded with continued employment much less a fare increase.
The Kingpin
Wed, Apr 21, 2010 : 9:56 a.m.
I ride the bus daily to and from The U hospital, for work. My schedule is changing this summer, and now I will have to drive, because the buses don't run late enough...one more fare lost. Get with the program and run at least SOMe of the routes 24/7...
Alan Benard
Wed, Apr 21, 2010 : 8:41 a.m.
Robert M., enlighten us. How does AATA mismanage taxpayer dollars? What oversight are you lacking from the AATA Board, appointed by the mayor and approved by city council?http://www.theride.org/faq.aspI smell a brilliant scoop!
Ignatz
Wed, Apr 21, 2010 : 7:36 a.m.
Mass transit is part of modern society. It's not meant to be cost effective. I'm weary of so many people wanting everything to be profitable or else they wanting it scrapped.
Alan Benard
Wed, Apr 21, 2010 : 7:16 a.m.
Mass-transit systems have NEVER run off the farebox. This is yet another infrastructure obligation that must be paid to live in a civilized society. One may not want to see the working people and the disabled who absolutely rely on public transit to function, but they are a reality. Their mobility is essential to this or any other city working. If you want the benefit of urban life, you must pay for them. If you don't, kindly stop complaining and find some quiet hamlet or a five-acre lot on the side of a state road in a township to live in and enjoy your lack of a library district, convenient shopping, employment opportunities, cultural activities, well-funded school district. And while you're out there, stop whining.
AndyYpsilanti
Tue, Apr 20, 2010 : 10:34 p.m.
"For the most part, around here, it will only be used by a tiny number of idealists and people with no other transportation option." Have you ever ridden the bus around here? There are all sorts of people who use the bus. Personally, when my work schedule changed and I was able to use the bus instead of my car to commute from Ypsi to A2 and back, I was overjoyed. No more parking nightmare! The RIDE needs to figure out a viable late night option, and MUST extend at least Saturday hours on the weekend if they want to be usefull. Even if you just ran the #4 up and donw Washtenaw once an hour untill 3, you could help workers, increase business, and help reduce drunk driving.
John Q
Tue, Apr 20, 2010 : 9:07 p.m.
Maybe Ann Arbor is going in the wrong direction... http://www.urbanophile.com/2010/03/05/replay-small-cities-should-have-fareless-transit/
Anonymous Due to Bigotry
Tue, Apr 20, 2010 : 7:15 p.m.
I'm not convinced that it's possible for a bus system to be cost effective in an area with this sort of population density. For the most part, around here, it will only be used by a tiny number of idealists and people with no other transportation option.
Michigan Reader
Tue, Apr 20, 2010 : 5:56 p.m.
The AATA wouldn't be financially viable if it ran at the hours some of you posters are suggesting.
Lynn Lumbard
Tue, Apr 20, 2010 : 4:26 p.m.
I assume with these financial challenges that AATA is facing they will be delaying any thought of building the (unnecessary) Blake Transit Center.
Lokalisierung
Tue, Apr 20, 2010 : 3:58 p.m.
"What part of "I need to get home late at night" or "I actually want to go places on the weekend" don't people in the mass transit business understand?" Agreed.
Stephen Landes
Tue, Apr 20, 2010 : 3 p.m.
AATA will never make enough money because the system is not a viable alternative to a car -- the service doesn't run 24 /7. If you want people to use mass transit instead of a car then you have to be nearly as easily available to them AS A CAR. What part of "I need to get home late at night" or "I actually want to go places on the weekend" don't people in the mass transit business understand? If you build it -- a service that people can actually envision themselves using without having to own a car -- they will come.
Wolverine3660
Tue, Apr 20, 2010 : 12:56 p.m.
The AATA will not be able to gain revenue by increasing fares, they need more riders. And given how poorly routes are planned, I am not surprised that a lot of people dont choose to ride the AATA to work, or for other trips. One only needs to look at the Route #2 redesign fiasco, to see why almost all South Neighborhood riders have given up on riding that AATA.
AndyYpsilanti
Tue, Apr 20, 2010 : 12:14 p.m.
And parking rates go up at the same time. Clearly, we have geniuses running the show over there in A2.