UTA Adds Another Fuel Surcharge to Fares
Jul 31, 2008 by Elizabeth Ziegler
(KCPW News) Less than a month after adding a 25-cent fuel surcharge to ticket prices, the Utah Transit Authority announced another increase slated to go into effect in October. UTA spokeswoman Carrie Bohnsack-Ware says fuel prices rose above $4 a gallon last quarter. This triggered the increase under a fuel surcharge matrix approved by the UTA board in May.
"We hate doing this. It's not something that we want to do by any means," Bohnsack-Ware says. "But even more than we don't want to have these fare increases, we don't want to cut service at such a critical time, when service is needed so badly."
The gas surcharge will boost fares for UTA buses and TRAX by 25 cents and by 50 cents for Frontrunner. But under the matrix, fares could go even higher if diesel tops $5 a gallon this quarter. According to AAA, the price of diesel in Utah is currently $4.74 per gallon. High gas prices are driving more people to ride public transportation. Bohnsack-Ware says ridership this June jumped 20 percent over last year. And public transportation remains an affordable alternative, she says.
"It's still cheaper to use public transportation rather than taking a single car with just one person in it," Bohnsack-Ware says. "I know the price is going up, but the price is going up with everything, and we're just hoping that people have patience."
She says the latest fuel surcharge will be eliminated if the price of diesel falls below $4 per gallon. The surcharge is slated to go into effect October 1.
Email to a friendPosted in KCPW Newsroom. Copyright 2008 KCPW
1. Doug said:
Why are the TRAX fares tied to gasoline? Don't they run off the electric grid whose costs are based on completely different fuels (coal and natty gas)?
2. Tammi Diaz said:
INJUSTICE ANYWHERE IS A THREAT TO INJUSTICE EVERYWHERE. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR
VOTERS VOTED FOR THE IMPROVEMENT IN THE TRANSIT SYSTEM NOT THE DESTRUCTION OF THE BUS SYSTEM!
We need to start ASKING: What is UTA doing to ENCOURAGE MOTORISTS to take the BUS, and Leave their VEHICLES at HOME and Help out our ENVIRONMENT?
UTA needs to ACCESSIBLE VANS and SMALL BUSES to go into Neighborhoods to take INDIVIDUALS to the MAIN BUS ROUTES.
We also need to ASK: Is our Transit SYSTEM, CONVENIENT, FREQUENT and AFFORDABLE for all CITIZENS?
GAS PRICES have SKY ROCKETED. UTA should not be GOUGING RIDERS with FARE INCREASES.
UTA needs to work on BARRIER FREE, BENCHES and SHELTERS and also INCREASE the FREQUENCY of BUSES.
UTA has good BUS SERVICE in the DOWN TOWN SALT LAKE CITY, in the AVENUES and the UNIVERSITY of UTAH with they SUBSIDIZED STUDENTS and FACULTY DISCOUNTS BEYOND what other FARE PASS HOLDERS PAY in the AMOUNT $6.3 MILLION EACH YEAR.
If UTA had LOW FARES for EVERYONE, INSTEAD of so many SUBSIDIZED BUS PASSESUTA would need to Raise FARES.
The Reason UTA SUBSIDIZED PASSES, is to HELP INCREASE RIDERSHIP.
UTA is a PUBLIC SERVICE! They RECEIVE PUBLIC FUNDS.
The UTA BOARD of TRUSTEE will not UTA EXECUTIVES ACCOUNTABLE.
UTA has hurt alot PEOPLE do to DESTROYING the BUS SYSTEM and FARE INCREASES.