I can’t think of any colleagues on the RTD Board who enjoyed last Tuesday’s vote on the staff proposed fare increase.  However, in the words of one fellow Director, the majority agreed it was necessary to “bite the bullet” on this one.  The attached Denver Post report provides a pretty good summary of the final vote:  http://www.denverpost.com/search/ci_6999363.

I did vote with the majority in this instance.  I was convinced that the combination of rising costs for fuel, access-a-Ride service and other incidental employee expenses, along with lower than anticipated sales tax revenues, were putting an overwhelming pinch on RTD’s budget.  With a fall-back position that entailed serious service cuts, I felt the fare increase proposal was a reasonable option.

However, in passing the proposed fare increase, I joined with my fellow Board members in taking actions that I hope will foreclose the need for any near-term fare increases.  Specifically, we have invited staff to present us with a thorough performance review for all bus routes, with an eye toward cutting low-performing services.  Further, we asked staff to conduct an analysis of opportunities for reducing the rising cost of access-a-Ride service. 

In all, it was not an easy decisionto make.  As this is my first experience wrestling with such a fare increase proposal, I will monitor closely its impact on RTD’s customers.  I also will keep a close eye on staff’s response to the identified service efficiency measures.  Ultimately, my goal is to ensure that RTD is meeting its service delivery goals while making the most efficient use of  existing resources.