The importance of regional public transit

Yesterday, Northampton Mayor David Narkewicz, who also serves as the chair of the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority’s (PVTA) advisory board, and I met at a bus stop in Northampton to talk about the PVTA’s 20% rate hike which just took effect.

Here’s a Facebook live video if you want to take a look.

Here are a few important things to know about the PVTA:

The 20% fare hike is the first since 2008 and not something Mayor Narkewicz wanted to do, but there were no other options given the fact that the PVTA currently has a $3.1 million funding shortfall.  The PVTA board is holding off on route cuts, hoping that the Massachusetts legislature will address the shortfall in the forthcoming budget, which is delayed.

Here’s what a 20% rate hike looks like for riders:

• Adult one-way fares will rise from $1.25 to $1.50.
• A pack of 20 tickets will rise from $47.50 to $57.
• A 31-day elderly and disabled pass will rise from $22 to $26.

And here’s what we know about what happens when we increase fares: Ridership decreases.

• In fact, one source estimates that for every 10% increase in transit fares, ridership can decrease upwards of 3.5%.

Now, regional public transit does three things:

• It helps lessen individual inequality because it provides a way for people to get to their jobs, to school, to medical appointments, and more. Remember, 70% of PVTA ridership has no other source of transportation.
• It helps boost local economies because it helps break down barriers for workers to get to their places of employment and community members to get to local businesses and shopping centers.
• And, of course, it’s environmentally sound.

The $3.1 million shortfall is tiny and wholly surmountable when you consider two things:

• Other transit expenditures: Upgrades on the line between Boston’s North Station and South Station, 1.5 miles of line, will cost $12.3 billion. Now, in some ways that’s an apples to oranges comparison, since the Boston public transit system is exponentially larger than the PVTA. But, in other important ways, it’s a painful example of the ways in which western Massachusetts continues to get fewer resources than we need and deserve, while the eastern part of the Commonwealth claims more and more funding.
• And revenue: Since the late 1970s, incomes of the wealthiest–the top 1% in Massachusetts–have grown 10 times faster each year than the bottom 90% of wage earners. At the same time, the wealthiest continue to pay the smallest percentage in local and state taxes.

Imagine for a moment a time when the Massachusetts legislature takes up meaningful tax reform to ensure that the Commonwealth has sufficient resources to work in the best interest of all residents. And, imagine a western Massachusetts delegation determined to continue to fight for our region’s fair share.

I want in on both!