The board of the Washington Metro system is considering a broad range of fare increases, higher fees and service cutbacks to deal with its budget woes, Greater Greater Washington reports.
All of the proposed increases are unpleasant, though there is little doubt that revenue will have to go up. But some of the proposals are especially onerous for Baltimore-area resident who make use of the Washington Metro system.
Commuters who drive to the nearest Metro station -- notably Greenbelt, New Carrollton, Glenmont or Shady Grove -- and hop a train could face a parking fee increase of 50 cents a day or $5 a month. Some board members are resisting the proposal because of its disproportionate effect on long-distance commuters.
One particularly obnoxious proposal for Marylanders is to raise the fare on the B30 bus from BWI to Greenbelt from $3.10 to $6. It is perhaps the nature of transit agencies to put off fare increases far too long and then to jack them up dramatically, but this is ridiculous. A near-doubling of the fares is a prescription for losing ridership on a bus route that is a key link between Washington and Baltimore (via light rail) -- especially on weekends when there are no MARC trains. It could be seen as a covert attempt to kill off the route entirely. An increase of roughly 33 percent -- to $4 -- is plenty for now.