SANTA CLARA VTA RIDERS UNION P. O. Box 390069 Mountain View, CA 94039-0069 http://www.vtaridersunion.org/ NEWS RELEASE TO: Editor, News Assignment Desk, Transportation Reporter * FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE * Press Contact: Eugene Bradley 24 hr. cell/pager (408)888-2208 email:eegenebradley@yahoo.com SCVTARU: PROPOSED VTA FARE INCREASE RISKS LOSING MORE TRANSIT RIDERS Group Urges VTA To Set Stable Financing For South Bay Transit Operations SUNNYVALE, CA (March 31, 2003) – The Santa Clara VTA Riders Union (SCVTARU - http://www.vtaridersunion.org/) today announces its opposition to the fare hikes proposed by the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) to take effect August 1, 2003. SCVTARU instead asks the VTA and its management to finally bite the bullet and make more aggressive cuts in its administration, in addition to making firm fiscal footing for the county's transit operations a top priority. While the VTA's proposed fare increase would be 12%, some groups of transit riders would have their fares increased by as much as 105%. The highest proposed increase SCVTARU found goes to monthly passes for senior and disabled riders. VTA proposes to double the cost of a senior/disabled monthly pass to $22.50 from the current $11.00. SCVTARU questions the rationale of doubling the cost of monthly passes for senior and disabled riders - many of whom live on fixed incomes and likely unable to drive an automobile due to age, health, or financial reasons. For these reasons, these citizens depend on mass transit as their only means of mobility. "To double the price of a monthly ticket - particularly in the middle of a recession - is to place another barrier mobility to independent living for these people," said Eugene Bradley, our founder. VTA's proposed fare increases, if approved in May, would be the second fare increase in the last year. The chart below shows the proposed fare increases for all transit riders. The proposed fare increases address only a fraction of VTA's projected $140 million shortfall. It is the most regressive tax there is. It hits lower income residents the hardest, especially residents in East San Jose. Given VTA's overdependence on local sales tax revenue and fares to pay for its transit operations, A FARE INCREASE IS A TAX INCREASE. With the Bay Area having the highest gas prices in the nation, the local economy still in recession, and a 9% reduction in transit service on April 14, VTA's ill-timed announcement will send more cars on the road, which will only contribute to the worsening environment and quality of life in the South Bay. The timing and location of the fare increase hearings puzzles SCVTARU. Instead of holding hearings in places and times more accessible to transit riders, some fare increase meetings are held at times and/or sites guaranteed to minimize the number of affected riders who can attend. One such example is the fare increase meeting in Morgan Hill, held on a Tuesday afternoon (April 8) at 2pm, at City Hall. The meeting is at a time when many residents in South County are still at work or in school. Residents in San Martin and Gilroy will have to travel up to half an hour by bus to reach this meeting. Another example is the Thursday, April 3 meeting at Eastridge Mall in East San Jose at 7pm - held while the VTA Board is having its monthly meeting at Civic Center in San Jose. An immediate resolution to VTA's fiscal crisis must be reached. The issue is that 80% of VTA's revenue comes from local sales taxes. Because of decreases in that revenue due to the recession, the VTA has had three rounds of service decreases and a fare increase over the last two years. VTA management must bite the bullet and diversify its revenue streams such as transit impact fees for development, which is what other big city transit agencies do. The fact is that, throughout its history, VTA's service funding philosophy has been to maintain and raise sales taxes to fund its transit operations. SCVTARU says it is well past time to change the "small town" style of transit operations funding and adopt big city-style transit operations funding. It is also well past time for VTA management and the County Board of Supervisors to think outside the box and begin to aggressively encourage transit use by recognizing that the Bay Area has amongst the highest prices per gallon of gasoline in the nation. Since the last Gulf War in 1991, European countries have shifted their tax burden from personal income to consumption of fuel. During the same period, VTA, its predecessors, and the County Supervisors have instead encouraged the use of the automobile thru four (4) fare increases and land use policies that place barriers to fast, cheap, and frequent mass transit for South Bay residents. SCVTARU believes it is against common sense to continue to place the VTA's fiscal crisis on the backs of the transit rider. With Bay Area gas prices amongst the highest in the nation, local unemployment at its highest in a generation, the economy still in recession, and further service reductions on April 14, it is the worst possible time to propose a fare increase. By continuing to punish the transit rider, for sins not of their own making, is to accelerate the extinction of the county's transit system, thus worsening the quality of life in the South Bay. SCVTARU urges VTA management and the County Board of Supervisors to act NOW to fully resolve VTA's fiscal crisis. While the VTA's ad-hoc Financial Stability Committee has started to consider some of our ideas such as lower fares on weekends and transit development fees, we question why it has taken over a year before practical solutions to VTA's fiscal crisis have been considered for adoption. Our suggestions, available at www.vtaridersunion.org, will benefit transit riders who get a break in fares since they typically cannot afford to drive, or cannot drive, automobiles. Those who contribute to our country's dependence on oil and pollute the environment will see a proportionate tax increase. Our suggestions benefit industry, which would have a price incentive to heighten energy conservation. With these bold policies, our transit system would be placed on firm footing, our environment will be improved, our quality of life will be enhanced, and our dependence on oil will be lessened. It will allow for the VTA's transit vision, VTP 2020, to become a reality. VTA Public Meetings for proposed fare hies Downtown San Jose Wednesday, April 2, 2003 3:00 p.m. AND 7:00 p.m. First United Methodist Church 24 North Fifth Street, San Jose East San Jose Thursday, April 3, 2003 7:00 p.m. Eastridge Mall, near Security Office 1 Eastridge Center, Second Floor, San Jose Campbell Monday, April 7, 2003 3:00 p.m. Campbell Library, Community Room 77 Harrison Avenue, Campbell South County Tuesday, April 8, 2003 2:00 p.m. Morgan Hill City Hall, Council Chambers 17555 Peak Avenue, Morgan Hill South San Jose Tuesday, April 8, 2003 7:00 p.m. Gunderson High School, The Forum 622 Gaundabert Lane, San Jose Sunnyvale Wednesday, April 9, 2003 7:00 p.m. Columbia Neighborhood Center 785 Morse Avenue, Sunnyvale Palo Alto Thursday, April 10, 2003 7:00 p.m. Mitchell Park Community Room 3800 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto 2003 Proposed Fare Changes Type Current Proposed Adult One-Way $1.40 $1.50 Youth " 85 cents $1.00 Sr./Dis. " 45 cents 75 cents Express " $2.25 $2.50 Adult Day Pass $4.00 $4.50 Youth " " $2.50 $3.00 Sr./Disabled " $1.25 $2.25 Express " " $6.00 $6.50 Adult Monthly $45.00 $52.50 Youth Monthly $27.00 $30.00 Sr./Disabled " $11.00 $22.50 Express " $72.00 $80.00 Pack of five (5) Day Pass Tokens Adult $20.25 ($2.25 off normal price) Youth $13.50 ($1.50 off normal price) Eco Pass (avg. annual rate) $14.50 $19.00 San Jose State (SJSU) Annual Rate $23.00 $40.00 Paratransit One-Way trip $2.80 $3.00 Paratransit companion trip $2.80 $3.00 Paratransit open return $5.60 $6.00 Paratransit second vehicle sent $14.00 $15.00 Paratransit no-show fee $2.80 $3.00 Paratransit Same Day Trip $10.00 $12.00 Paratransit Same Day No-show fee $10.00 $12.00 Paratransit Same Day Companion $5.60 $6.00 ### About the Santa Clara VTA Riders Union -------------------------------------- Founded in October 2000 by Eugene Bradley, the Santa Clara VTA Riders Union is a grassroots-based organization dedicated to ensuring that elected officials improve and implement cost-effective, frequent, and reliable mass transit in Santa Clara County. You can find more information on the Santa Clara VTA Riders Union on our web site, http://www.vtaridersunion.org/. We are based in Sunnyvale, CA. Our organization has absolutely no affiliation with, nor is endorsed by, the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) in any way whatsoever.