About 100 people protested outside Regional Transportation District headquarters in Denver on Wednesday night prior to a public meeting on a proposed 15 percent rate hike.
“What they’re proposing will be deeply impactful in ways you can’t articulate,” said Bianca Mikahn of Denver. “I’ve been in the situation where I’ve had to choose between spending money to eat or on getting to where I needed to go. … It’s crucial that they respond to the needs of people who need public transportation the most.”
RTD launched its review of passenger fares nearly two years ago in hopes of a coming up with a more understandable, more uniform rate schedule. Officials expect to make their decision on the new fares by May, and the new rates would start early next year.
A local fare for bus and rail is now $2.25. RTD is recommending that price go up to $2.60. Also, a newly created multiple-trip day pass would cost $5.20.
Additionally, under the RTD proposal, a local monthly bus fare goes from $79 to $104.
Wilma Barnett said the price of the monthly pass she purchases would go from $39.50 to $52. She said even the 35-cent increase on the daily local fare would be too much for her to handle.
“I’m homeless, and I have to ride the bus every day, to doctor’s appointments, from shelter to shelter. They should just leave it alone,” she said.
RTD’s proposed schedule does not make it any easier on working and low-income families, said Zoe Williams of 9to5, an advocacy group for low-income families.
“After nearly two years of working on a fare study and talking to community members about their needs, it is clear affordability is the No. 1 concern of riders today,” Williams said. “Any proposal that does not include accommodations for low-income working families falls short.”
Low-income families make up more than 54 percent of RTD riders, with 27 percent earning less than $15,000 a year.
