The Bus Riders Union-ATX is a group of bus passengers organizing to fight
the Capital Metro fare increase.
Capital Metro is trying to double the bus fares, to pay for very expensive
trains that will run to the suburb of Leander. The people of Austin, many
of whom are transit dependent, will benefit very little from this new
service, but are being asked to pay twice what they currently pay for bus
transportation. Austinites already pay a 1% sales tax to Metro, and that
contribution, along with the current fare, is more than enough.
The transit authority claims it has never raised fares, but they raised
them from free to $.50 in the nineties, and they effectively doubled the
fare for most trips when they eliminated transfers last year. This change
resulted in a 20% jump in fare revenue. In fact, Capital Metro now brings
in more money than ever before.