The Metropolitan Transit Commission is expected to make their decision as early as June. If approved, it would start October 6.
CHARLOTTE -- Record-high fuel prices have put the Charlotte Area Transit System in a serious financial crunch. To offset some of those costs, leaders want to raise the cost of a one-way local ride on bus or light rail by 20 cents.
"It is not right or fair for those who depended solely on the bus to have to foot the bill,” commented one CATS rider at Wednesday night’s public forum in regards to a possible increase. One by one, more than a dozen riders voiced similar concerns.
"In being responsible to the future of the system, while also looking out for the current demands, I don't think we have a real good choice,” commented CATS CEO Keith Parker. Officials said the proposed fare hike on buses and the light rail is needed since their fuel prices have jumped more than $1 since January.
The $3.73 per gallon average is expected to put the system $4 million in the hole for fuel costs next year. Still, some riders argued another hike would cripple their already think budgets.
Record-high fuel prices have put the Charlotte Area Transit System in a serious financial crunch. To offset some of those costs, leaders want to raise the cost of a one-way local ride on bus or light rail by 20 cents.
"There are those people who have a choice, and there are those people who have no choice,” stated rider Dawoud Assad. “They must take mass transit. The impact on them will be not a savings, but a loss."
“A lot of the folks we serve are on fixed income, and that's not increasing, but we see all these other things increasing like the price of food, so I am here to ask you to try to think creatively on how to minimize the impact of this fare increase on the poor,” added Liz Clasen of Homeless Helping Homeless.
Although Parker said the proposed increase “stinks,” he wouldn’t guarantee another hike would be off the table in 2009.
"We hope that costs will subside and we won't have to do anything in terms of another increase next year, but we can't make that promise right now either,” said Parker.
The Metropolitan Transit Commission is expected to make their decision as early as June. If approved, it would start October 6. For more on the proposed fare increase, click HERE.