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Imagine paying the same price for any good or service for 25 years.
Imagine rolling back the price of milk or bread or gas to 1985 levels.
Sounds good, right?
Now imagine receiving the same paycheck for the last 25 years.
Not quite as pleasant a thought.
The Transit Authority has not raised its rates for 25 years.
Now, the authority wants to raise its rates from 50 cents to $1 within Muskogee and from $1.50 to $3 round trip in other parts of the county.
That sounds reasonable. It has been 25 years and the total, while doubled, still puts the price of a ride inside the city to $1.
However, the price increase might very well be out of the reach of fixed-income or low-income riders who most rely on the service to get around town.
Hopefully, the authority, along with the City Council, might find another solution to the issue of raising revenue while keeping the rides reasonable for the very people who need them the most.
Perhaps the increase could be phased in over a longer period of time.
However, it is doubtful that any person that can’t afford the increase today will be able to afford it in six months to a year either.
Would it be possible to cut a few routes or the frequency of the routes in order to save a few dollars here and there?
Would that decrease costs enough to forego a price increase?
While we are on the subject of bus routes, we would like the City Council to find a way to make it easier on those who need the service to find and use it.
We suggest more prominent signs to tell you where to catch a bus. We suggest benches and shelters to wait for a bus while in the wind or rain.
These few improvements to the system might encourage more riders to use the system more often.
And, we know the Council will have to find the money to make the improvements.
But, let’s begin to look now.
