Rockford bus fare hike - where we’d rank

January 30th, 2009 at 12:20pm Thomas V. Bona

After 13 years at $1 a ride, Rockford Mass Transit District is considering a fare hike and a new 25-cent transfer fee. Given the rising price of fuel, increased inflation and service additions since 1996, plus tightening of state support it was only a matter of time. Here’s how we’d rank in Illinois if the increase is passed as proposed (ranked on base adult fare, though I note when there’s a longer, more expensive route - no express routes though) :

1. Chicago - $2.25 cash; $2 with CTA cards and 25 cents for transfers (fare went up 25 cents in January)
2. St. Clair County (St. Louis area) - $2, 75 cents for transfers (fare went up 25 cents in January, will go up another 25 cents next year)
3. PACE (Chicago suburbs) - $1.75, 25 cents for transfers (fare went up 25 cents in January)
4. Rockford - $1.50, 25 cents for transfers. $1.75 for longer CherryVale Mall route (if 50-cent fare increase approved for April)
5. Bourbonnais - $1, with a longer $3 route.
6. Danville - $1, with longer $2 and $3 routes.
7. Quad Cities - $1 (fare went up 20 cents in January), with a longer $1.50 route.
8. Peoria - $1
9. Bloomington-Normal - $1 (increased in September by 25 cents)
10. Champaign-Urbana - $1
11. Springfield - $1
12. Madison County (St. Louis area) - 75 cents to $1.75, depending on length of route (increased 25 cents a couple of years ago)
13. Decatur - 75 cents
14. Galesburg - 60 cents
15. Quincy - 50 cents
16. Macomb - Free (Western Illinois University routes have been free, city routes went free from 50 cents this fall. WIU pays much of the local cost)

A few takeaways:

• We’re right now in the middle of the pack at $1, but we’re one of the biggest systems in the state … and bigger bus systems usually  cost more.
• I wonder if any of the others - like Peoria - will look at fare hikes soon as well.
• There’s precedent for a “zone fare” system like what RMTD is proposing in Cherry Valley. Some other public transit systems have significantly higher fares for some significantly long routes (including links to other mass transit options 30 or so miles away.) Interesting model.
• Ridership would have to drop more than 33 percent for RMTD to lose money on this proposition (that doesn’t take into account the new transfer and Cherry Valley fees, though). While some will go back to their cars to avoid a 50 percent fare increase, I doubt nearly that many would.

Thoughts?

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