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Originally Posted by ddvmke
I don't blame people from being angry. When you get into the RTD budget and aren't just looking at the debt and interest they lay out there (items within "other" and reserves), RTD is spending more on debt service and executive comp. than core bus and rail operations combined. This is even before the principal repayments on about $2.8B of debt related mostly to FastTracks has even begun (2019 earliest start). Not really a recipe for successfully improving existing service.
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Do you have a breakdown on that? It doesn't quite jive from what i'm seeing in the budget.
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It seems as though this fare increase really is to cover the increased debt and interest costs (bus and rail ops costs up only 1.4% per year) associated with the capital required to build out lines all at once that will take too long to develop and bring in the revenues required. All the while failing to improve the existing bus services that carry the vast majority of the public.
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I feel like this fare increase is more of a subsidy payment to the special interests who have been whining for years about transit equality (i.e. welfare) for the poor. RTD is jacking up general fares to pay for all of the subsidized goodies that are being proposed for the lower classes. In my mind this, and the recent moves for disabled access (the stroller policy and seat removal, are example of how RTD is beholden to two special interests: welfare advocates and disabled community.