A recent fare proposal by the Regional Transportation District is flawed because it gives most suburban commuters a huge break while raising the fares on everyone else.
RTD’s proposal, which still must be approved by its board, eliminates the tiered-pricing on its light rail system. Now, commuters pay more the farther they travel on the train. A one-way trip to the farthest station on a line is $5.
Under the proposal, all one-way rides would be $2.60.
Eliminating zoned fares is a response to public complaints that the pricing is confusing, said Scott Reed, RTD spokesman. “We recognize that will result in a reduction of some revenue. We also think it will make it easier for people to ride rail, so we will partially recover that.”
RTD believes a cheaper ride will entice more people onto light rail. By the end of 2016, five new transit lines will open, so RTD believes that now is a perfect time to “simplify its fare structure to make riding across the district easier.”
But bus riders should not subsidize light rail, particularly low-income customers or commuters in the northwest corridor that have no rail service and probably never will.
A local one-way bus fare would increase by 15.6 percent — growing to $2.60 from the current $2.25. That is a larger increase than in 2011, when RTD raised the fare by 12.5 percent from $2.
It would give RTD the second highest local fare among the in 2013. Calgary’s $3.15 is the highest.
Advocates for low-income will push out poor people. That may be true but RTD does have a laudable program that provides more than a million reduced fare or free trips for low-income people every year.
However, the elimination of the zoned fares for light rail does set up an unequal system.
Meanwhile, the proposal would actually lift prices for long-distance bus trips. A one-way, nonstop ride from Boulder to Denver will increase to $5.50 from $5.
“It is absolutely impossible how anyone can see that as being equitable,” said Boulder Mayor Matt Appelbaum.
RTD would establish a “local” bus on the corridor that will make all of the stops between Denver and Boulder and charge $2.60. If people want the nonstop, they can pay the premium price, RTD says.
Appelbaum says the system should have a one-fare-fits-all approach or a by-distance fare.
“What you cannot have is one structure for most of the district and another for another part of the district,” he said.
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