Fare increases
I have refrained up until now from commenting on Translink’s recent decision to raise fares. But at the bottom a piece on the British Network Rail organization deciding not to give its executives a bonus this year, I came across this
South West Trains, Britain’s biggest train operator, will tomorrow put up off-peak fares by up to 21 per cent, and passengers on Arriva Trains in Wales will see ticket rises of up to 34 per cent.
which puts Translink’s 25c hike into some perspective, I think. Not saying it’s right, just not as much as others pay, that’s all.
Stephen Rees's blog 
I think the following would be reasonable:
cash fares: $2.50, $3.75, $5.00 (concession: $1.50, $2.00, $3.00) – increase .25, .50, 1.00
faresavers: $2, $3, $4 – increase 0.20, 0.30, 0.40
daypasses: $8 (concession: $6) – no increase (now matches 2 X faresaver)
monthly passes: $70, $96, $131 (concession: $40) – increase 1.00, 1.00, 2.00
Sungsu
May 21, 2007 at 1:49 pm
There is a lot of juggling each time the fares go up. Usually some policy objective that was once thought important has since changed, but always the aim is to get the most revenue with the least loss of ridership.
I think eventually the concentric ring zones will have to go, as commuting to the core is not now the dominant feature the way it once was. New technology – especially smart cards – could make the system much more logical, and responsive to changing need, but it would need a big investment which right now is more desparately needed to just buy more buses.
Stephen Rees
May 28, 2007 at 7:16 am