Blog, I

The bus fare and rates on Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) city buses are about to increase 33% for standard fares, while reduced fare riders are feeling an issue with a 100% hike on theirs.

This comes simultaneously with changes to schedules, routes, and splits in interliner routes from two original bus lines combined into one. Word has it that these changes affect ten of the JTA’s routes/buses, and when finalized ten others will be next on their list.

JTA’s claim to gas price rises over the last decade have gone undisputed by virtually all media sources until the time of this writing. What no report has concentrated on is the last point in a short path to simply redirect passengers.

‘Get a monthly pass.’

A monthly pass for JTA will cover all normal routes, save .special services like out-of county, at a cost of $40.00. At today’s rate a person paying per trip while commuting cross town can spend between $3.00 to $4.00 daily. Even with a discount card, riders using similar multiple route tactics will pay $46.00 to get to work, based on 23 calendar work days on average each month.

This doesn’t take into consideration other rides including shopping, weekend travel around town, or other appointments.

What’s it cost for a person doing the two bus boogie getting to work, then back again monthly? $92.00!

In my opinion, anyone able to hold a job longer than two weeks will have enough sense to make the choice of going to JTA’s monthly pass system. If JTA was impacted by the fuel charge increases, they would have kept quiet…and kept on hearing those coins…the real reason for changes. The fact is it costs more money to take less in the form of coins, than it will to overprice an overloaded bus network to force people to pay up front…or slide a dollar bill that’s less likely to be jammed.

But that’s just my opinion. What’s yours?