Metra train at Crystal Lake.
When Metra set fares for the Northwest line of the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad, there was a flaw that has resulted in overcharging McHenry County residents for decades.
That’s because the rates were set based on the number of miles traveled.
Ignored is the fact that most of the cost of a train ride occurs as a train is leaving the Chicago station.
The variable costs of the track, salaries and fuel do exist, but the cost of each additional mile a commuter rides is not the total cost divided by the number of miles.
Metra’s newest board member, former McHenry County Board member and Chairman Ken Koehler reported Tuesday the following fare hikes:
25 cents for a one-way ticket
$1.75 for ten rides
$2.50 for monthly tickets
Koehler put it this way:
“Because we’re the farthest out, we are getting a lot more ride for the dollar.”
Lol How is it Koehler gets a pass for hiking fares but Franks gets egg on his face for eliminating loopholes?!
A fare increase is basically a Tax increase!!!
Politician speak at it’s best.
If you buy a piece of lumber at the store and the price goes from $3.00 to $3.25 that is a price increase.
You are paying more for a good or service.
Metra provides a transportation service.
The cost of the service is increasing.
This has ZERO to do with taxes.
User fees are a good thing, subsidies for riders not so much.
@Nob What does the general tax payer (who does or doesn’t use metra) get for their subsidy?
It is estimated that another 21 lanes of highway would be required to handle the 2,000,000 daily rides provided by the transportation system.
These 21 additional lanes (not on one highway, over the entire system) would cost Billions.
You would lose a lot more green space.
Additionally, there is economic benefit to having people clustered around mass transit.
Without this clustering there would be more sprawl.
Sprawl requires more distributed/duplicated services.
I’m not saying that subsidies are the 100% correct answer, but we do realize a benefit from the subsidies.
Ya ya I understand all that.
Raise the users fee, cut back some on the subsides.
AND STILL NO APP TO GET A TICKET????
SO WHAT IS UP WITH THAT AFTER ALL THE ADVERSTISING AND FARE HIKES!!
WE GOT NOTHING ????
CAN YOU CHECK INTO THAT ONE THERE KK AND GET BACK TO US PAYING RIDERS……
Maybe Kenny boy should get a job developing a mass transit system for Port-au-Prince.