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Mayor pledges to leave fares alone

Mayor Dave Cieslewicz announced Tuesday his 2008 annual budget does not require any service cuts or fare increases for the Madison Metro bus system.

This marks the third year in a row Cieslewicz has not cut funding for or increased the costs of riding Metro.

Metro initially submitted its budget to the mayor in August, honoring his request for a 3 percent cut in costs. This budget included service cuts on Sundays and a fare raise from $1.50 to $2. However, Cieslewicz's new budget allows for Metro to keep its lower fare and the same running schedule.

George Twigg, communications director for Cieslewicz, said this commitment to low fares depends on the state passing the Senate's Democratic budget.

If the Republican-controlled Assembly's budget is passed, Twigg said the city would be required to cut its budget by $15 million. This cut in funding could cause an increase in Metro fare, a decrease in service and cuts for public safety projects.

"It is very important to us that the Senate's version goes through," Twigg said. "If we have to cut $15 million, all bets are off in terms of doing some of the things we want to do, like keeping Metro affordable."

While legislators continue to debate the logistics of the budget, Twigg said the importance of the Metro to the city of Madison is clear.

"At a time when those same high gas prices are hitting family budgets hard, it's more important than ever to keep bus service at an affordable price so that working families have an alternative to get to their jobs and school," Cieslewicz said in a release Monday. "Keeping Metro strong and affordable is also important as we fight global climate change."

According to the release, this plan coincides with the mayor's earlier announcement of Madison's commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution by 100,000 tons in five years.

Ald. Robbie Webber, District 5, said to achieve this goal, the city is looking for alternative transportation methods, mainly the Madison Metro.

Webber said maintaining low fares will encourage students and families to take the bus instead of cars, helping to keep air pollution low and decrease greenhouse emissions. Twigg agreed.

"Clearly, use of mass transportation helps reduce traffic and congestion, which in turn reduces emission from that congestion," Twigg said. However, Webber said the buses are not only important in helping the environment, but are essential to providing transportation methods for residents without cars to get to school and work.

"The Metro is a core city service. It is especially important to those who cannot drive or do not drive for a variety of reasons," Webber said. "We also need to make sure that we look at issues in at-risk communities — the buses for those communities mean access to jobs." With Metro ridership at a 20-year high, Twigg said maintaining Metro fares and schedules remains a priority for Cieslewicz.