Will MARTA Stay a Breeze For All?
MARTA has installed the Breeze Card system in its stations. The immediate side effects of this are a good thing. MARTA will not have as many fare jumpers because the new fare gates are higher and more automated. Instead, MARTA can use its in-station personnel to help keep things cleaner, safer, and more customer service oriented. That’s something MARTA needs. Whether the Breeze Card is good for the random MARTA rider is more of an Aquinian question. On its own the Breeze card is neither good nor evil, only to purpose to which MARTA will put it makes it so.
This could be a great thing. If MARTA uses the breeze card in such a way to simply make things more convenient, it will be wonderful. If people can buy day passes, 3 day passes and so forth, the Breeze card will improve ridership. It would also be great if people who bought large purchases received a discount on the value of their rides in the way that those buying 20 tokens now receive a 15% percent discount.
What’s sadly more likely is that MARTA will try to use this system to move to a distance based fare schedule. One good thing about MARTA is that no matter where you’re going, the price is the same. Everyone knows the price and it’s the same regardless of where you travel. This lets people who could drive decide not to. If the price from Sandy Springs to Omni goes from the current $1.75, to say $2.50, it will make driving far more cost competitive. In order to remain strong, MARTA must capture the marginal markets; those people who might drive or take MARTA. Distance based fares will also make parking at in town stations more crowded. Imagine what the parking wars will be like at Lindbergh if riding to Lenox, Brookhaven, and Doraville goes up 50 cents a ride.
Lastly, the people who could really be punished are those who can least afford it. People who ride buses are going to get hit when they get on the bus and when they get on the train. MARTA needs to make a commitment to the public that the installation of the fare system will increase efficiency and that the value of the efficiency will be passed on to the riders.
March 7th, 2006 at 4:34 pm
I think distance based fare is a good thing. That’s how the DC metro does it and it works great. The max cost doesn’t have to be something exorbitant. But paying $1.75 to go from Arts Center to Lindbergh makes me lean toward just hopping in my car.
March 7th, 2006 at 8:55 pm
Distance based pricing would be a boom for those most likely to use MARTA, intowners. Why should someone from Cumming pay the same for a twenty five mile trip from North Springs to the airport as someone from Atlanta taking a mile and half trip from Peachtree Center to Midtown? At thirty cents per passenger mile, the rider from Cumming uses $7.50 worth of services while the intown rider (who also pays taxes into the system) uses only $.45 worth of services but they both should pay $1.75?
Distance based fares would make things more expensive for those in the suburbs but cheaper for those in the city. Suburbanites have made their decisions on where to live and should pay the cost of doing so. Traffic is never going to get better. Even if we spend the fifty billion required to build everything in the twenty five year regional road plan, traffic is still projected to get worse and worse. If they don’t want to pay the cost of transit, why should those living in the city be expected to subsidize them?
With all of the new residents moving intown, especially near transit lines, it is essential that the system focus on providing a resonably priced service to them. These people are the most likely to use the service. If we miss the opportunity to get these people onto transit instead of driving everywhere, the city is going to become even worse gridlocked than GA400.
April 2nd, 2006 at 4:12 pm
I agree that distance based fares are a good idea. $1.75 from North Springs to the airport is ridiculous. Also, lower fares on shorter trips may encourage more shorter trips on MARTA within activity centers.