[UPDATE 7/14: ConnDOT has canceled the fare hike hearings, which raises the possibility that they may be out of the budget.]
While budget negotiations continue behind closed doors, Gov. Rell has shown no signs of dropping her proposed 40% fare increase for CT Transit buses. ConnDOT has taken a first step towards the fare hikes by scheduling public hearings in the communities that will feel the impact of an increase. The first hearings are in Stamford (on July 21) and New Haven (July 22) and will also allow members of the public to speak on a planned 10% Metro-North fare increase.
The governor first proposed the fare hikes as a way to help balance Connecticut’s overdue 2010-2011 budget. Democratic legislators in the Connecticut General Assembly oppose the fare increases.
Over the weekend, a Connecticut Post op-ed linked Gov. Rell’s planned hikes to the Texas Transportation Institute’s “Urban Mobility Report,” which found that commuters in the Stamford-Bridgeport area wasted an average of 33 hours in traffic annually due to congestion, compared to 21 hours in Hartford and 19 in New Haven:
“The proposed fare hikes send the wrong message at a time when state residents are driving less and using mass transit more… Metro-North’s New Haven Line carries 58,000-plus riders, on average, each day. What would traffic on Interstate 95 and the Merritt Parkway be like without the commuter line?
If nothing else, the answer to that question offers pointed evidence why expansion of mass transit at an affordable cost is an absolute necessity for the future — and why the governor and state lawmakers need to hold the line on transit fares as they negotiate a new budget.”
Public hearings will also be held in Clinton, Waterbury, Wallingford, Meriden, Bristol, New Britain, and Hartford over the next three weeks (for details see ConnDOT’s website). Connecticut residents can also send an e-mail to Gov. Rell on TSTC’s website.
I agree that this increase is unacceptable. Many people ride the bus to help keep cars off the road. This will only encourage people to drive to work (one person per car). With everyone “going green” and trying to improve the pollution status, this will not help.
Governor Rell should be looking at improving public transportation so more people take advance of it. Also more companies should subsidize the cost of public transportation.
I know myself that if this increase is approved, I will no longer take the Peter Pan bus into Hartford, instead I (like many others) will be clogging the highways!
Most people did not even receive a salary increase last year and this year. With the cost of college tuition increasing along with every other bill we pay, this is a bill that should not be increased. If it is increased a minor increase would be acceptable not 40%!!!!
If costs go up, why is it acceptable for the general taxpayer to have to absorb the increase rather than the actual user of the service?
These increases are unacceptable.