I'd accidentally sent this to just Robbie yesterday, when I'd intended to send it to the entire list for discussion.
-----Original Message----- From: Krause, Dorothy Sent: Wednesday, December 10, 2008 3:16 PM To: '[EMAIL PROTECTED]' Subject: Re: [Bikies] bus fare increase Thanks for that, Robbie. Along the same lines, when I went to MATC, apparently I would have been eligible for a free bus pass, tho I didn't get one because I drove. I think the UW has an arrangement like that as well. How do those work? I've also wondered whether transit gets gas tax money? It would seem that would be a relative fair way of spreading out the cost, as well as being a bit of a 'sin tax' on us auto drivers. Thanks for info! Dorothy On 12/10/2008 2:55:13 PM, Robbie Webber ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) wrote: I would add Larry Palm to that list. He works for the Madison schools, and talked about how hard this fare increase would be on kids and parents. And since we are on the subject of schools and transportation, let's look at how Metro works with the schools to provide transportation to middle and high school kids. Besides the discounted youth fares - both single fare and ten-ride passes are available to kids 5-17 (or in high school if they are older) - there are semester passes that either parents or the school district purchase for the kids. Families that qualify for free and reduced lunches - which is about 43% of middle and high school kids - are provided a semester pass that is paid for my the school district. These "indigent" passes are purchased at a discount by the school district, but as of 2010 (or maybe 2011), the school district would pay the regular cost for these youth semester passes. That means more costs to the school district, and less money for other things in the schools. Right now, the schools spend over $1 million/year on these indigent passes. Families that do not qualify for free and reduced lunches can purchase a semester pass for $125/semester at today's rates. Some of these families may also be finding it difficult to pay that cost, especially if they don't have the money for the semester pass at the beginning of the school term. These families then either pay higher per-ride fares or maybe drive the kids to school. In addition, there are the paratransit fares that also rise as regular fares rise. Paratransit is used by people with disabilities that cannot use fixed-route buses, either all the time, or occasionally, such as winter, when they may not be able to get to the bus or board the bus at the stop because of snow. Paratransit rides are usually a multiple of the cash fare. Social service agencies also buy passes or tickets for their clients so they can get to appointments to look for jobs, housing, health care, child care, and other needs. My point is that there is a cascade effect when "regular" fares are raised. Lots of other people and institutions then have to absorb those costs, and maybe shift money from other services or needs. Robbie _________________________________________________ This message is for the designated recipient only and may contain privileged, proprietary or otherwise private information. If you have received it in error, please notify the sender immediately and delete the original. Any other use of the email by you is prohibited. Dansk - Deutsch - Espanol - Francais - Italiano - Japanese - Nederlands - Norsk - Portuguese Svenska: www.cardinalhealth.com/legal/email
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