Increased Mass Transit Fees Irritate Passengers

Other Commuters Also Face Higher Costs

Whether it's on the roads, the rails or on buses, the cost of moving around the Washington region grew more expensive this week.

Gas prices are near all-time highs, taxi rates in the District just rose and downtown parking rates are increasing. For the second year in a row, Metro riders had to pay more to park at a station or board a train or bus yesterday, a development that left many of Metro's 1.1 million daily bus and rail passengers steaming.

"I hate it," said Dorothea Bradley, a fortyish Pentagon worker from Prince George's County as she crossed the Potomac River on the Yellow Line. "I hate the fare increases, and I hate Metro. They don't need more money. I need more money."

Sheryl Taylor, a 52-year-old diplomat with the Australian Embassy, was less than diplomatic. "It just stinks," she said as she emerged from a Red Line train at Dupont Circle.

Commuters using Virginia Railway Express, Fairfax Connector and Arlington Transit also began paying higher fares yesterday.

But the Metro increases caused the most widespread grumbling. The minimum subway fare increased by 15 cents to $1.35 and the local bus fare by a nickel to $1.25. The maximum peak rail fare rose 30 cents to $3.90, and daily parking fees increased by 75 cents. Monthly reserved parking saw the biggest increase, rising by $10 to $45.

Metro officials said they need higher fares and fees to close a $23.4 million shortfall in the operating budget. The transit system's operating costs are paid by fares from passengers, subsidies from local governments and revenue raised by Metro through advertising and other sources.

But the fare and fee package that took effect Sunday is generating $29.2 million in extra revenue, $5 million more than needed to fill the shortfall. Metro board members said they want to return the surplus to the local governments that help fund Metro.

Fares cover 55 percent of the operating cost of a Metro ride; the national average in 2001 was 38 percent.

But Metro board Chairman Robert J. Smith of Maryland said passengers should absorb a larger share of the cost. He and others noted that Metro fares and fees remained constant from 1995 to 2003, while operating subsidies paid by local governments grew every year. It was time for passengers to pay more and give cash-strapped local governments some relief, Smith said.

That argument didn't sway most Metro riders interviewed.

"Whenever they need money, they turn to the public, rather than decreasing the salaries for the top officials," said Mildred Muhammed, 44, who parks at the Branch Avenue Station and rides the Green and Red lines to Dupont Circle.

Several riders are creatively adapting to the new fares and fees. Sean McPhilomy, 38-year-old consultant from Fairfax County, has stopped parking at the Dunn Loring-Merrifield Metro station and instead searches for free parking spots in the surrounding neighborhood. "I just don't think I should be paying more for parking as well as for the train," he said.

One Metrobus rider said he bought 400 tokens before the price increased, which could last about 20 weeks and will save him $20.