Finance & Administration Committee Information Item I-A January 19, 2012 Follow-up to Proposed Fare Changes for FY2013 1 of 22
Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority Board Action/Information Summary Action Information MEAD Number: Resolution: Yes No TITLE: Follow-up to Proposed Fare Changes for FY2013 PURPOSE: To provide additional information to the FA Committee regarding fare changes. DESCRIPTION: Before the Board can consider any fare increase, the WMATA Compact requires the holding of one or more public hearings to obtain comment from the public. The Board has been requested to authorize the required public hearings. The Board members of the FA Committee have asked for additional information pertaining to the proposed fare changes to be included in said public hearings request. FUNDING IMPACT: No impact on funding. RECOMMENDATION: That the Board reviews the proposed changes to the request for public hearings. 2 of 22
Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority Follow-up to Proposed Fare Changes for FY2013 Finance and Administration Committee January 19, 2012 3 of 22
Purpose To provide additional information to the Finance and Administration Committee regarding fare changes 4 of 22
Rail GM/CEO s Recommended Fare Changes Remove peak of the peak (POP) surcharge Average increase of peak period fares is less than 5 percent Increase max fare on SmarTrip $5.75 Off-peak fares Increase boarding charge by 5.71% and set max fare at $3.50 Align off-peak mileage composite to peak period Change paper farecard pricing to two-period, flat-fare system $6 for all paper farecard trips during the peak period $4 for all paper farecard trips during the off-peak period Eliminate the short-trip pass and dday pass 5 of 22
GM/CEO s Recommended Fare Changes, Continued Bus Increase local/limited-stop l/li it t bus SmarTrip card dfares by CPI Round cash boarding fee to nearest dollar $2 for local / limited-stop bus $4 for express bus, no change to Airport routes Parking Increase park-and-ride and ride fee by 25 Balance supply and demand of reserved parking permits Encourage bike access to rail system by decreasing bike locker rental annual fee to $120 MetroAccess No change to current pricing calculation Fares adjusted according to increases to rail and bus fares Increase max fare by CPI to $7.40 6 of 22
Public Hearing Docket, as submitted Additional items to be included in the proposed public hearing docket: Increase rail peak-period max fare on SmarTrip to $6 Off-peak fares on rail Set the off-peak boarding charge and composite mileage fares at a rate higher than recommended Increase off-peak SmarTrip max fare to $4 7 of 22
Additions to Docket Requested by Board Members $14 one-day rail pass with no time restrictions Two-zone paper fare card pricing $4 for all trips within visitor zone, $6 for all other trips Increase the paper fare card surcharge from $0.25 to $1.00 Jurisdiction discretion to implement a 5 surcharge on entry/exit for station improvements Total of 9 stations allowed 3 in each VA / MD/ DC Item not included: Biennial fare changes based on the compounded consumer price index (CPI) Approved in Resolution 2007-47 Per WMATA compact, fare changes cannot be automatic; public hearing is required prior to all fare changes 8 of 22
Fare Concepts Visitor Zone Stations 9 of 22
Comparison of Paper Farecard Fare Structures # of trips = current total annual trips 10 of 22
Sample Rail Fares SmarTrip Card Travel during POP Old New Union Station to Farragut North $2.15 $2.10 Clarendon to Navy Yard $3.05 $3.05 Twinbrook to Gallery Place $4.90 $5.30 Paper Farecard 2-Period Flat Fare 2-Zone Flat Fare $1 Surcharge Travel during POP Old New Old New Old New Union Station to Farragut North $2.40 $6.00 $2.40 $4.00 $2.40 $3.40 Clarendon to Navy Yard $3.30 30 $6.00 $3.30 30 $4.00 $3.30 30 $4.30 Twinbrook to Gallery Place $5.15 $6.00 $5.15 $6.00 $5.15 $6.15 11 of 22
Issues/Benefits of Paper Farecard Proposals Pros Two-Period Fares Two-Zone Fares Increase Surcharge Fares are easy to determine and encourages ridership during less crowded times Two-zone system makes fares easier to determine and provides discounts to trips in the core Fast and easy to implement Cons High fares during peak periods when using paper farecards Zone boundaries result in high fares for short trips, unpopular with suburban jurisdictions Increased complexity over status quo, max fare reaches $6.75, misses revenue target 12 of 22
Disadvantages of Paper Farecards Paper farecards Lower durability and reliability than SmarTrip results in service issues for customers and station managers Technology is 35 years old Harder to maintain than SmarTrip due to numerous mechanical parts within a gate or vendor Higher cost to maintain than SmarTrip Annually, Metro spends a premium of approximately $4M to keep paper farecards in service 13 of 22
Next Steps January 26 2012 Metro Board Meeting Board consideration of public hearing resolution Mid-February 2012 Legal advertising of public hearing docket End of February first week March, 2012 Hold Public Hearings March June 2012 Budget deliberations June 2012 Metro Board Meeting Board consideration of FY2012 Budget 14 of 22
Appendix Fare Tariff Listing Fares for Proposed Docket Sample Fares Revised Resolution for Public Hearings 15 of 22
GM/CEO Recommendation PLUS Potential Docket Additions Fares and Fees As of FY2011 FY2013 GM FY2013 Metrorail Fares Fares / Fees Recommendation Docket Additions Peak Fares ¹ Boarding charge $1.95 $2.10 Composite miles between 3 and 6 miles $0.299 $0.316 Composite miles over 6 miles $0.265 $0.280 Maximum peak fare $5.00 $5.75 Maximum peak fare alternative $5.00 $6.00 Charge for senior/disabled is one-half peak fare $0.95 - $2.50 $1.05 - $2.85 $1.05 - $3.00 Peak-of-the-peak surcharge 2 $0.20 eliminate Off-Peak Fares 3 Boarding charge NA $1.70 Composite miles between 3 and 6 miles NA $0.237 Composite miles over 6 miles NA $0.210 Maximum off-peak fare NA $3.50 Charge for senior/disabled is one-half peak fare during off-peak $0.95 - $2.50 $1.05 - $2.85 $1.05 - $3.00 Charge for first 7 composite miles $1.60 eliminate Charge for composite miles between 7 and 10 miles $2.15 eliminate Charge for composite miles greater than 10 miles $2.75 eliminate OR Off-Peak Fares 3 Boarding charge NA $1.90 Composite miles between 3 and 6 miles NA $0.284 Composite miles over 6 miles NA $0.252 Maximum off-peak fare NA $4.00 Magnetic Paper Fare Card Fares 4 Fare for paper cards during peak periods 1 NA $6.00 Fare for paper cards during off-peak periods 3 NA $4.00 Charge for senior/disabled is one-half peak fare NA $3.00 Non-SmarTrip fare surcharge $0.25 eliminate OR - Magnetic Paper Fare Card Fare Alternative 4 Fare for paper cards in outer zone (per zone map) NA $6.00 Fare for paper cards in core zone (per zone map) NA $4.00 Charge for senior/disabled is one-half peak fare NA $2.00-$3.00 Non-SmarTrip fare surcharge $0.25 eliminate OR - Magnetic Paper Fare Card Fare Alternative Fare for paper cards during peak periods 1 NA Fare for paper cards during off-peak periods 3 NA Non-SmarTrip fare surcharge $0.25 $1.00 Senior/disabled is one-half peak fare NA $0.50 + 1/2 peak fare Rail Passes Bus-to-rail transfer utilizing SmarTrip card $0.50 discount no change One day pass $9.00 eliminate One day pass alternative $9.00 $14.00 7-Day Short Trip pass $32.35 eliminate 7-Day fast pass for rail $47.00 $52.00 30-Day DC SmartStudent pass & DC One Card, within DC $30.00 $32.00 DC Student farecards & DC One Card - 10 rail trips within DC $9.50 $10.00 Transit Link card on MARC and VRE 5 $102.00 $108.00 Transit Link card on MTA 5 $157.00 $166.00 Printed 1/18/2012 16 of 22
As of FY2011 FY2013 GM FY2013 Metrobus Fares and Fees Fares / Fees Recommendation Docket Additions Regular Fares SmarTrip boarding charge for local/limited-stop bus $1.50 $1.60 SmarTrip boarding charge for express bus $3.85 no change Cash boarding charge for local/limited-stop bus $1.70 $2.00 Cash boarding charge for express bus $3.85 $4.00 SmarTrip /Cash boarding charge for airport designated routes $6.00 no change Senior/Disabled: One-half Regular Fares SmarTrip boarding charge for local/limited-stop bus $0.75 $0.80 SmarTrip boarding charge for express bus $1.80 no change Cash boarding charge for local/limited-stop bus $0.85 $1.00 Cash boarding charge for express bus, including surcharge $1.90 $2.00 SmarTrip /Cash boarding charge for airport designated routes $1.80 - $1.90 $3.00 Bus Transfers Bus-to-bus transfers utilizing SmarTrip card $0.00 no change Rail-to-bus transfer utilizing SmarTrip card 6 $0.50 discount no change Transfer from MARC, VRE, and MTA $0.00 no change Transfer from regional bus partners varies no change Bus Passes 7-Day Regional Bus pass $15.00 $16.00 7-Day Regional senior/disabled pass $7.50 $8.00 DC student tokens - 10 trips per pack $7.50 $8.00 DC student pass on DC One Card - 10 trips $7.50 $8.00 MetroAccess Fares MetroAccess fare (within ADA 3/4 mile service corridor) 7 varies varies Maximum fare $7.00 $7.40 Parking Fees District of Columbia $3.25 - $4.25 $3.50 - $4.50 Montgomery County $4.00 - $4.75 $4.25 - $5.00 Prince George's County $4.25 $4.50 Virginia $4.50 $4.75 Monthly reserved parking fee $65.00 $45.00-$65.00 Parking meters $1.00/60 minutes $1.00 no change Prince George's parking garage at New Carrollton $85.00 no change Non-Metro Rider parking fees $8.25 - $25.00 no change Other Fees Bicycle locker rental $200.00 (annual) $120.00 (annual) $0.05 surcharge on Entry/Exit per Jurisdiction request for station improvements, apply to 3 stations each in DC/MD/VA 1 2 3 4 5 6 Peak fares are in effect from opening through 9:30 a.m. and from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. weekdays, except on national holidays. Peak fares are in effect from midnight until closing Friday and Saturdays nights. Peak-of-the-peak hours are from 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. and from 4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m weekdays, except on national holidays. Off-Peak fares are in effect during all other hours on weekdays, Saturday and Sunday and all national holidays. Fare change for magnetic paper fare cards on rail will be effective following the Labor Day holiday in September 2012. Metro's portion of the Transit Link Cards on MARC, VRE and MTA. Anacostia and Congress Heights rail stations have additional $0.50 discount for all transfers between bus and rail for qualifying bus routes. 7 MetroAccess fare is twice the equivalent fixed route SmarTrip fare based on fastest trip. Effective February 27, 2011. No change in supplemental zone fares is being proposed. Printed 1/18/2012 17 of 22
SmarTrip Fares GM's Recommendation Example Fares Peak of Peak Peak Off Peak Trip Distance Example Old Fare New Fare Old Fare New Fare Old Fare New Fare Short Trip (3 miles) Union Station to Farragut North $2.15 $2.10 $1.95 $2.10 $1.60 $1.70 Medium Trip (6 miles) Clarendon to Navy Yard $3.05 $3.05 $2.85 $3.05 $1.60 $2.40 Long Trip (14 miles) Twinbrook to Gallery Place $4.90 $5.30 $4.70 $5.30 $2.75 $3.50 Paper Farecard Fares GM's Recommended Two Period Flat Fares Peak of Peak Peak Off Peak Trip Distance Example Old Fare New Fare Old Fare New Fare Old Fare New Fare Short Trip (3 miles) Union Station to Farragut North $2.40 $6.00 $2.20 $6.00 $1.60 $4.00 Medium Trip (6 miles) Clarendon to Navy Yard $3.30 $6.00 $3.10 $6.00 $1.60 $4.00 Long Trip (14 miles) Twinbrook to Gallery Place $5.15 $6.00 $4.95 $6.00 $2.75 $4.00 Potential Pubic Hearing Docket Amendments Paper Farecard Fares Two Zone Flat Fares Peak of Peak Peak Off Peak Trip Distance Example Old Fare New Fare Old Fare New Fare Old Fare New Fare Short Trip (3 miles) Union Station to Farragut North $2.40 $4.00 $2.20 $4.00 $1.60 $4.00 Medium Trip (6 miles) Clarendon to Navy Yard $3.30 $4.00 $3.10 $4.00 $1.60 $4.00 Long Trip (14 miles) Twinbrook to Gallery Place $5.15 $6.00 $4.95 $6.00 $2.75 $6.00 Paper Farecard Fares $1 Paper Surcharge Peak of Peak Peak Off Peak Trip Distance Example Old Fare New Fare Old Fare New Fare Old Fare New Fare Short Trip (3 miles) Union Station to Farragut North $2.40 $3.40 $2.20 $3.20 $1.60 $2.60 Medium Trip (6 miles) Clarendon to Navy Yard $3.30 $4.30 $3.10 $4.10 $1.60 $2.60 Long Trip (14 miles) Twinbrook to Gallery Place $5.15 $6.15 $4.95 $5.95 $2.75 $3.75 *Each of these above examples will result in similar revenue gains 18 of 22
PROPOSED 19 of 22
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