EDITORIAL – Port Authority fare increase beneficial

Nearly every year, the Port Authority goes through panic-stricken financial crises that lead… Nearly every year, the Port Authority goes through panic-stricken financial crises that lead to service cuts and modified routes or threaten to drastically raise fare prices.

Just last summer, Pitt students were on the edge of their seats over whether or not Pitt would continue to cover the cost of bus fare.

And last July, County Chief Executive Dan Onorato even proposed introducing a countywide drinking tax in order to fund the cash-strapped Port Authority.

It seemed as though the Port Authority simply could not reach a convenient solution to its money problems – a solution that satisfied the majority of Allegheny county residents.

However, things are starting to change.

The Port Authority recommended on Friday a 25-cent increase in base fares starting on Jan. 1.

This would increase the base fare in Zone 1 from $1.75 to $2 and is the first fare increase since 2002, according to the Post-Gazette.

The fare hike is not only beneficial in that it would alleviate the Port Authority’s financial problems, but it is also very convenient for passengers. Many bus riders hardly keep quarters anyway, so a $2 fare is a lot more reasonable.

Furthermore, it is highly unlikely that people will stop riding the bus because of a simple 25-cent increase in fare.

In fact, according to the Post Gazette, at several meetings, riders told the Port Authority time and time again that they preferred a fare increase to service cuts.

So it doesn’t seem like the increase would bode any kind of serious financial burden for bus riders.

With all the positive aspects of a fare hike, we wonder why it took the Port Authority so long to reach this solution.

Instead of threatening service cuts and panicking about losing money, the Port Authority could have increased the fares a long time ago and made things easier for everyone.

In fact, a regularly scheduled fare increase is something the Port Authority should take into consideration in order to meet its financial problems in the future.

Along with the fare increase, the Port Authority explored other options.

One of these options is a fare collection system that uses “smart card” technology in order to make riding the bus much more efficient, preventing the use of fraudulent IDs and bus passes.

At the moment, there is no verification system in order to catch expired Pitt IDs or fake bus passes.

Often times, drivers don’t even look at IDs closely enough to make sure they are not expired.

A “smart card” technology system would change all that by allowing riders to swipe their Pitt IDs or passes, thus preventing the Port Authority from losing money.

So the Port Authority currently seems to be on the right path.

And as long as it stays on this road, we are sure to see a more convenient public transit system in the future.