Did Metro kill the B30 bus?
The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority's board adopted a sweeping package of fare increases last night while protecting the system from most service cuts.
I don't doubt the necessity or the increases or the wisdom of preserving service, but the one far increase that strikes me as counterproductive is the jump in the fare of the B30 bus from Greenbelt Metro to BWI from $3.10 to $6.
This near-doubling will be a real shock to the budgets of those who depend on it, and will discourage its use as a transit bridge between Baltimore and Washington on weekends or when MARC is disabled. It's not that the fare shouldn't have risen -- $3 was a bargain -- but transit agencies ought to implement increases more incrementally.
We'll just have to see what this does to ridership on the bus. It would be a shame if this were a death blow.
Comments
Is this bus still covered by the weekly pass? If so, most of the daily users are still able to afford it at the same rates.
For the rest of the users, $12 round trip is still a tremendous bargain when compared to taxis and parking.
Posted by: Cullen | May 28, 2010 11:13 AM
I figure the weekly passes will cover the bus the same way they cover the B30 (and other express buses) now: the weekly pass will cover the base fare (which will be $1.50), leaving the remaining balance (which will be $4.50 on the B30) for you to pay.
As for this being a deathblow, I don't think so. Well, on the weekdays, $6 from Greenbelt to BWI is the same as MARC from Union Station to BWI, so I'd expect more rides to switch to MARC (though, the B30 dropping you off right at the terminal may still be a benefit). As for the weekend...the only other option is Amtrak, which ranges between $12 and $40, depending on time of day and if you're taking NE Regional or Acela. $6 is still a far better option. Not necessarily as good as the $3 it was, but not that bad.
I still maintain it should have only risen to $5, in order to let non-SmarTrip passengers pay with $5 bills and speed up the boarding process.
COMMENT: I agree.
Posted by: Justin..... | May 28, 2010 4:39 PM
I work near Goddard and took a bus to from here to Greenbelt ($1.50) and then took the B30 to BWI, which is near where I live ($3.10). I am INFURIATED they doubled the price. $6 for 20 miles on a cramped bus with tourists without exact change and plenty of luggage??
I just looked at schedules and I can spend $1.50 to go to New Carrollton, and $5 to get to BWI via MARC. I can leave work half an hour later and get to BWI only 12 minutes past what the B30 would get me there.
Thank goodness I only use WMATA once a week. It's not worth paying $13-15 a day to get to and from work.
Posted by: Katherine | August 12, 2010 11:39 AM