AU students said they would not likely change their use of the Metro system by a significant amount if the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority decides to continue with a proposed fare increase after an ongoing 30-day delay has passed.
The Metro Budget Committee is putting the proposed increase in fares on hold while an outside consultant reviews whether WMATA can balance its budget in other ways, according to Metro spokesman Steven Taubenkibel.
The committee's decision came after WMATA General Manager John B. Catoe Jr., who became the leader of the agency Jan. 25, asked the board to delay any budget decisions while the consultant reviewed the agency's options. As proposed, the fare increase would cover more than half of an estimated $116 million budget deficit WMATA faces during the 2008 fiscal year, according to The Washington Post.
"[Catoe] has made very clear that before we have any further discussions about a fare increase or service cuts, that there has to be a thorough review of the entire budget and the organization," Taubenkibel said. "He wants to make sure that we are as clean and efficient as possible."
WMATA first announced the proposed increase in a press release on Dec. 14. If enacted, it would be the first increase in Metro fares since 2004.
The Budget Committee outlined a number of proposals in the press release, including increases in fares by an average of 30 cents on Metrorail and five cents on Metrobus per ride. Additionally, it would cost an average of 75 cents more to park per day at a Metrorail station. The Budget Committee also recommended making fare increases lower for people using the SmarTrip system than for people using paper fare cards. SmarTrip is a permanent fare card system, which users can add money to as needed.
Alli Gold, a freshman in the School of Public Affairs, said she did not support the proposed fare increase.
"I don't think it's a good idea for them to make people who use Metro pay for the budget deficit," she said. "Instead, they should make people who drive and don't use the system pay a penalty."
Patrick Nance, a student in the Washington Semester Program, said he would support a fare increase if WMATA was using the proceeds to narrow its deficit.
"If it's covering a budget deficit, I'd support it," he said. "I think it's a worthwhile service, so I'd be willing to pay more if it meant keeping the system running."
The fare increase proposals mentioned in the press release are only some of the options the Budget Committee is considering, according to Taubenkibel.
"Honestly, I can't speculate about what's going to happen 30 days from now, whether those proposals will still go forward or whether we could be looking at something completely different," he said.
The Budget Committee may still recommend imposing a fare increase even after they look at the budget review, Taubenkibel said.
"[Catoe] has made no guarantees," he said. "He cannot guarantee that there won't be one, he can only guarantee that we're going to try to do as many cuts as we can internally and holding off before we try to do anything else."
If WMATA did decide to increase its fares after the review, Gold and Nance said they thought it would not signifcantly change their use of Metro.
"I think I might budget my trips a little more," Gold said. "But as a college student who does not have a car on campus and relies on Metro to get around D.C., I don't think I have much of a choice"
