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| Peak: The New Normal is the first in a series of closer looks at items under consideration on the fare increase docket.This article is the second and looks at what is changing in the Off-Peak Rail Fares |
| Rail-Off-Peak | ||||
| Current Off Peak | Choice A | Choice B | Current Peak Fare | |
| Boarding charge | $1.60 | $1.70 | $1.90 | $1.950 |
| Composite miles between 3 and 6 miles | NA | $0.237 | $0.284 | $0.299 |
| Composite miles over 6 miles | NA | $0.210 | $0.252 | $0.265 |
| Maximum fare | $2.75 | $3.50 | $4.00 | $5.00 |
For off-peak there are 2 increases.
1. The obvious: the proposed boarding charge and maximum fares are higher than the current.
I’m not really sure which is more unsettling: the fact that there are two fare increases on the table of “high” and “higher” OR the fact that “higher” is nearly equal to what is currently peak rail fare.
2. The NOT so obvious – “bracket creep” – the change from a flat-fee zone fare to a (shorter) zoned mileage fare.
| Current Off Peak | All Choices | |
| Off-Peak | ||
| Charge for first 7 composite miles | $1.60 | eliminate |
| Charge for composite miles between 7 and 10 miles | $2.15 | eliminate |
| Charge for composite miles greater than 10 miles | $2.75 | eliminate |
Right now, off-peak, you pay $1.60 for up to the first 7 miles of rail travel. If you travel between 7 and 10 miles you pay $2.15 and if its more than 10 miles you pay $2.75.
Here’s what they want to do: You pay$1.70-1.90 to get on the train and travel up to 3 miles. After 3 miles a per mileage charge kicks in (which gets a little cheaper if you go over 6 miles).
So what would your fare look like for 6 miles? Right now you are paying $1.60.
| Current | Choice A | Choice B | |
| Boarding fee | $1.60 | $1.70 | $1.90 |
| Composite miles between 3 and 6 miles (3 times the per mileage) | – | $0.71 | $0.852 |
| Total | $1.60 | $2.41 | $2.75 |
Commuting round trip, 5 days a week – the difference between your current fare and Choice B is nearly $600.00 for the next year.
Reasonable? I don’t know. Choice A looks like a 50% increase to me. Choice B ends in a fare that is over 70% higher.
And these are ONE-way OFF-PEAK fares.
If you have a problem with this emails are being accepted into the record for the public hearings – as are faxes and snail mail information.
Deadline for all written testimony: 5 p.m. on Monday, March 12.
The face-to-face public hearing period is over. You may submit written testimony by following the instructions found here (“How to Submit Written Comments“) or by using the form below.
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