Special to El Rrun-Rrun
If the city commission votes to approve the recommendation by Brownsville Metro at tonight's meeting, the average bus rider will see bus fares double and the elimination of transfers and 20-ride passes.
If passed tonight, and then passes on a second reading, the effective date of the increases will be
October 1, 2024. That, perhaps not so coincidentally, is the start of next year's budget. Why the increase wasn't included in BUS-Metro's annual budget proposal and instead was placed as an agenda item before the annual budget considerations is a question many residents are asking.
Joel Garza, the city's Mobility Director and city staff is recommending that the commissioners approve the rate hike proposals BUS-Metro which would raise an estimated $1,022,000. These changes, by design, will affect the majority of low-income bus riders who use the transportation to go buy groceries, get medical care, medicines, and otherwise do their business.
In short, it will impact their quality of life drastically. With just one-third of the city's 600 bus stops provided with shelters, the majority of riders will weather the elements into the foreseeable future and take a hit with the doubled fare prices.
So where is the Brownsville Community Improvement Corporation (BCIC) or the Greater Brownsville Incentives Corporation (GBIC) who freely hand out no-repay grants totaling millions yearly to their moneyed buddies? Or for that matter, why isn't commissioner Rose Gowen, who annually reaps millions from the city to build bike and hike trails all the way to Los Fresnos, advocating for this group? Sister, can you spare $1.2 mill?
In his proposal, Garcia says that rates for bus service "(have) not increased in over 20 years, while the cost of service has increased due to several components: COVID-19, Expansion of service, Sunday service, fuel cost increase, increase in (BUS-Metro staff) wages in order "to stay competitive, etc."
Logically then, the rate hike on poor bus riders will pay to keep administrators' salaries "competitive." Really?
"During COVID-19, Brownsville Metro received CARES Funding to offset the additional expenses, however that Federal funding source has been exhausted and is no longer available. Because of this, in order to keep the same level of service on our public transportation system, we will be proposing a fare increase. Alternatively, we would have to reduce service levels."
We notice that there aren't any cuts in expenditures, a trimming of the work force, etc., or any other reductions in spending. And didn't Garza or city and BUS planners foresee that the system would need to transition after the COVID funding stopped? Apparently, they thought it would be easier to push their rate hike past a pliant city commission, none of who, by the way, are bus riders. As a matter of fact, neither are they.
The proposed new fare structure includes:
General Fare:
Fixed-Route - $2.00
Paratransit - $2.00
Reduced Fares: All 50 percent of fare or pass: (The question here is: They were already paying 50 percent of the regular fare and once the fare is doubled, will the "reduced" fare be doubled as well?)
Students
Seniors
Individual with Disabilities
Military Veterans
Children under 6 - Free
Passes:
Day Pass - $3.00
Weekly Pass - $20.00
30-Day Pass - $60.00
Eliminations:
20 Ride passes
Transfers
16 comments:
2 of 3 bus stops within 200 meters of wal mart have a cover
Yet we dwell on the 1 that doesn't
If the obese people would walk 50 meters either direction
50 meters!!!! They would have shade and a bench
BREAKING NEWS !! Wow , Mayor and Commissioners , another new car wash next to HEB on 802 Ruben Torres and PUB now wants to charge a fee to use our card to pay our bill? Your S#*t pile keeps getting bigger!
We nay need to privatize schools.
Forget the charters too.
Give the schools back to the State of Texas to adopt better program.
Maybe churches might take over.
Catholics or Baptist do well.
The people that drive do not care. The people that have money do not care. The people that should care about the bus riders are the ones that want a bus increase. I just want to say: if this comes to pass I will not support none of the Commissioners nor the mayor in the coming elections. I will always vote against them. It is the duty of our leaders to protect the needy, the poor and the elderly.
Is this the famous pony show? You pretend you want to hear what the riders need, then you pretend you hear what the BUS wants and needs, then you raise the bus fare. Poor people : lose.
The best option to solve this issue: get rid of the BUS system, sell the buses and let the poor people walk, ask for rides, etc
agree with 11.13 am, this rice is cooked, rates going up no matter who complains. city mayor and commission have no heart. chon
There is NO poor people here, only rich and famous, buses are not needed, its a fake necessity, the cave people did not use the bus system, nor the airplanes, get rid of the buses just like y'al got rid of the airport. Why compete against things that are NOT wanted here.
Juan rgv metro already charges $2.00 fare so i gather thats where bus officials are getting this new fare? just saying? chon.
built bike trails to all hebs, downtown, beer joints, all church's like kfc, and walmarts. orale vieja mamona apurale!!!!
Only riders understand the issues with the Bus, and only the bus riders know how little money they have in their pockets. Others think paying one extra dollar is no big deal, having to pay for another transfer is fine, and that way they have few dollars to spend in other things. However, the extra money is needed to have a decent life, to be independent, not having to ask anybody for a bus fare. The Mayor and the commissioners should know this, that is why they represent the citizens of Brownsville.
Im sure Joel Garza like the entire city commission have nice vehicles and don’t have the need to ride the bus, so they could care less about increasing the bus fare. They have bigger fish to fry than worry about the needs of their constituents. Doesn’t grow their portfolio so why should they care. Let the poor figure it out. They have shame
mini buses is the guey to go but here ese director mamon and the elected officials RATAS love to spent OUR money. so they go big plus el mochis mochis y mas mochis....
This is a sorry way to screw our less fortunate, Metro big whigs drive around town in air conditioned vehicles to and from their homes and of coarse lunch. Charge a fee to the people using the nice hike and bike trails, take a $1 fee from each entrance fee to the rich peoples children’s museum, eliminate a few of the unnecessary asst city managers positions, take a few management positions away,etc there’s the $1M needed but don’t screw the poor.
The BUS overspent: the Sunday bus...too expensive to run, the study to find out what buses and what routes are important cost big money, salary increases to employees and other expenses caused the budget of the BUS to reach one million dollars needed to come back from red figures to black numbers again. Somebody got their fingers into the cookie jar and ate all the cookies and now they want more cookies and more cookie jars.
SIMPLE, BUY SMALL BUSES, BUT EL MOCHIS NO LOS DEJA, one for you two for me, two for you three for meee etccccc........
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