Despite recent reports that Madison Metro’s fare increase has decreased ridership, the company cites they have actually experienced a 4.3 percent overall increase in riders this year.
In February, the Madison Transit and Parking Commission approved Mayor Dave Cieslewicz’s proposed cash fare increase of 50 cents to be put into effect in early April, making the fare $2 per ride.
Mick Rusch, spokesperson for Metro, said the projected revenue increase from the new fare is not as high as expected, but Metro has enough savings to offset this shortfall.
“Our revenue has increased 10.5 percent through June of this year; we projected approximately 19 percent,” Rusch said. “This 10.5 percent, however, is still an increase.”
Rusch added their revenue increase is not yet up to projections because there has been a larger shift than was expected from cash fares to unlimited ride monthly passes, which cost $55.
According to Rusch, Metro is optimistic they will more than meet their predicted ridership increase. Rusch added if they hit the estimated mark, this would be their second-highest ridership on record.
“We’ve only been looking at this data for three months, but we are still confident that we will hit our projected ridership increase of 1.4 percent in 2009 versus 2008, which would be about 13.8 million rides,” Rusch said.
Rusch added Metro is planning many service improvements beginning in mid-August, including the return of route 10 midday service through the campus area. These improvements, Rusch said, add up to approximately $150,000 of new service on the street for 2009, which will help boost ridership.
Cieslewicz spokesperson Rachel Strauch-Nelson said this planned Metro improvement is very significant because it is the largest increase in service since 1998.
“There are a number of things the mayor promised to do, and the service improvements were one of those,” Strauch-Nelson said. “We are really excited about this.”
Strauch-Nelson added other service improvements include increased security at the South Transfer Point, increased service during peak hours and earlier trips to Dane County Regional Airport and Madison Area Technical College.
According to Strauch-Nelson, Cieslewicz also worked with Metro and community advocates to create a low-income bus pass program. The monthly passes cost $27.50 and are available at Metro, City Hall and the Dane County Job Center.
Lisa Subeck, one of the community activists involved in planning the low-income monthly fares, said this program is a vital change for many Madisonians.
“We have a large number of folks who rely on the bus,” Subeck said. “Many of those folks cannot afford cars or any other transportation, and so for work and other things they really need the bus.”
Subeck added the program is slated to run through the end of the budget year and that she is on a committee that will evaluate the program to see what changes should be made to make the program more efficient and cost-effective.
