El Comercio de Colorado

WILL BE EFFECTIVE IN JULY 2019

Newsroom/El Comercio de Colorado

The RTD Board of Directors approved an increase in general fares that will become effective on January 1^st of next year. Under the new fare structure, a ride to the airport from the Union Station will increase in $1.50 to cost $10.50. The local fares for buses and light rail will increase from $2.60 to $3; while the regional fare will go from $4.50 to $5.25.

Together with these increases, the Board implemented a 40 per cent discount on fares for low income riders. This program will begin in July 2019. Also, the discount of fares for riders whose age is between 6 and 19 will increase to 70 per cent. There will also be a three-hour transfer pass that will allow the transference between routes.

Two points of view

Angie Rivera, who was part of the independent commission that evaluated the new fares has a positive attitude about these decisions made by RTD. She believes this is a great victory for low income families, particularly those who rely on minimum wage. She believes the 40 per cent discount for families within 185 per cent of the Federal poverty line is a great achievement.

Rivera emphasized that before this, there was no special fare for these riders. She explained that the annual EcoPass, which has a monthly cost of $60 as well as the Monthly Pass, which costs $99 per month, are out of the reach of low income families. Jenee Donelson, a community organizer affiliated with 9to5 is a bit more cautious in her comments on these new policies. She affirms these changes come with a bitter-sweet taste.

Donelson considers the low-income fares as a positive development and she remembers that this proposal has been in the works for the past 5 years. She is disappointed that no monthly pass was adjusted based on family income and she showed concerns regarding the general rate increase. She believes it doesn’t make sense that the local RTD fare of $3 is higher than the basic fare from the transportation services in New York and Chicago.