CTA fares

I'm going back to the Hilkevitch column I had posted already:

It also would be great if the CTA's new leadership under agency president Richard Rodriguez would show some guts by experimenting with fares, especially in light of the recession and only modest increases in CTA ridership averaging about 2 percent for the year so far.

But not the type of experimentation foisted upon the CTA by former Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who mandated free transit rides for senior citizens on the CTA, Metra and Pace. As a result, free rides on the CTA, for low-income disabled people as well as seniors, have increased about 23 percent from January through May compared with last year.

Getting Around thinks that raising fares during peak travel periods, when passenger demand is the greatest and in some cases ridership outstrips CTA capacity, is a smart place to start. Such congestion-pricing strategies have been implemented successfully elsewhere, and local transportation experts say they would work at the CTA.

A bold experiment that past CTA administrations have shied away from would involve significantly reducing the price of the CTA 30-day pass. Proponents of the idea argue that pass sales would soar and ridership increase, including during off-peak hours when buses and trains are already operating with plenty of empty seats. Off-peak CTA ridership this year has increased more than 3 percent, even without the additional incentive.

Then there's this posting from Crain's political analyst Greg Hinz:

Given [CTA President Rich Rodriguez] newness and utter loyalty to Mr. Daley, he'll be inclined to take it slow and take no risks. That would be a mistake, because what the CTA needs is not just a smoother operation but a new way of doing business.

On the revenue side, for instance, the CTA needs to realize that its real passenger base no long is poor inner-city residents who have no alternatives, but yuppie types who work downtown and can drive if they want.  That means the agency really, really needs to look at a time-based fare system, one in which fares rise and fall with demand during rush and non-rush periods.

The agency might also take a good look at implementing a zone-based system, in which fares are higher if the ride is longer.  Many other cities -- particularly the European cities known for good transit -- have such a system.

Of course, the service will have to be safe, reliable and reasonably attractive.  But that's where the little things come in.

You'll want to read the whole posting from Hinz he talks up a proposed extension of the CTA Red Line but at the expense of the proposed CTA Circle line linking Lincoln Park to our southwest side.

What type of fare structure do you think the CTA should utilize that will help them in the current economic environment? Do you also think that we should do away with free rides for senior citizen and go back to the system where they may pay reduced fares once again?