By Erin Johnson
In an effort to increase public comment on the proposed Utah Transit Fare increase, representatives from Utah Transit Authorities hosted a public forum Wednesday night at the Provo City Public Library at 7 p.m.
Members of both the Orem and Provo communities attended the forum to voice opposition to the proposed increase that will raise fares across the board for students, adults and disabled patrons. The proposal”s main focus, however, is on the paratransit system which delivers special service to disabled passengers. While the current fare for the paratransit system is $1, the proposal will raise the fare 150 percent to $2.50 by 2004. Student and adult fares will also raise from $1 to $1.25. In addition, monthly pass fares for paratransit riders will increase from $32 to $90 by 2004 and adult passes will go from $32 to $45.
According to UTA official Kris McBride, the proposal will be voted on by the Board of Trustees in October, but will not take effect until Jan. 1. McBride further said that the fare increases will be incremental until the year 2004 in order to decrease the initial price shock.
The incentive for the fare increase is both the increasing cost of the paratransit system, as well as the relatively low rates of the UTA system in comparison with other transportation systems, said McBride. Whereas regular service only costs UTA $3 per passenger, the paratransit system costs up to $30 per trip. Further, the fare box recovery rate of the UTA has reached as low as 17 percent, compared to 20-30 percent of other equivalent systems. The labor and fuel cost has also increased recently creating a need for more revenue from passengers.
“This is a proposal, it is in no way a done deal,” said McBride. “We also know that it”s not a necessarily popular thing to raise fares.”
Indeed, many Provo and Orem residents are staunchly opposed to any such price raises that will hinder accessibility of the UTA system to handicapped and low-income residents.
Debra May Elvin, a patron of the paratransit system, spoke out against the UTA”s proposal saying that she would not be able to afford the new prices and would thereby be forced to stay away from her job at the Provo Temple, the only job she could find on account of her frequent seizures.
“I”m not willing to be a zero,” she said.
Likewise, Eileen Glather is a wheelchair bound resident who actively campaigns to “allow people with disabilities to live independently and with dignity.”
“If I have to pay these kind of fares, I will be forced to stay home,” she said.
LaWana P. Ballantyne, a friend of Elvin, also expressed opposition to the proposal, saying that the community should take it upon themselves to provide quality transportation for handicapped residents by paying the increase. In addition, in light of Tuesday”s tragic events, Ballantyne implored the audience to take a small step towards increasing compassion and humanity by not forcing handicapped residents to pay higher fares.
“I believe that to increase the fares would be forcing innocent Americans to be incarcerated in their own homes,” she said.
In addition to expressing concern for the handicapped passengers who will be unable to pay the raised prices due to already low incomes, residents conveyed disappointment in the courtesy and efficiency of the UTA system.
“We”re definitely not getting any bang for our buck,” said Provo resident and BYU bookstore Supervisor Iley Copeland.
McBride, however, said that with the increased prices, consumers “can expect increased value” in the transit system.
While passengers of the paratransit system will be the most effected by the fare increase, students that use the UTA bus system daily to attend classes will be charged a 25 percent increase.
Lindsay Flaherty, a sophomore at UVSC, takes the bus everyday and said that the current $1 fee is not too low considering the time it takes to get across town.
“I think it is a rip-off,” she said. “Although it doesn”t seem like much, for people who use it everyday it”s going to add up.”
However, Flaherty does feel that if gas prices do go up in response to Tuesday”s events, then the bus prices “might well be worth it.”
BYU senior Marisa Lee concurred and said, “If I rode it all the time like some students, it would make me mad.”
