Sound Transit has posted notices on each train with details of a public hearing about proposed fare increases for the Sounder Train. I grabbed one of their pamphlets today and read through the reasons for the fare increase including the 70% increase in the cost of gasoline since Sounder went into service. Every reason seemed reasonable to me.
The pamphlet detailed the three choices they were considering, but I have to wonder if input from passengers will make a difference. Here are the three choices:
1. Increase fare by 10%
2. Increase fare by 20%
3. No fare increase
I’m not sure what to think about these choices. Are many people going to tell Sound Transit they want to pay 20% more to ride the train? The whole thing seems a bit weird to me. Maybe it’s more of a formality since Sounder uses tax dollars to subsidize the operation. It feels like something they have to do rather than something they’d want to do.
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