------------------------------------------------------------------------------ NewsBank, inc. - The Commercial Appeal - 2000 - Article with Citation ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Headline: MATA OFFICIALS HEAR GRIPES ABOUT PLANNED FARE HIKE Date: April 7, 2000 Section: Metro Page: B1 Edition: Final Length: 637 words Author: Blake Fontenay The Commercial Appeal Index Terms: MEMPHIS TRANSPORTATION COST INCREASE REACTION STATISTIC Text: City transit officials say they need to raise bus and trolley fares to keep pace with rising operating costs. But at a public hearing Thursday evening, many transit users complained they aren't getting a good value for their money now. Memphis Area Transit Authority officials set up the hearing to give citizens a chance to provide input on the proposed fare increases. MATA officials are thinking about increasing the regular bus fare from $1.10 to $1.25. Also under the plan, fares for disabled people who use the MATAplus shuttle service would increase from $1.35 to $2.10 for one year, then jump to $2.50. The fare for senior citizens and disabled people who ride MATA's regular buses would remain at 50 cents during non-peak hours. However, during peak hours, the fare would jump from 55 cents to $1.25. The regular fare for rides on the downtown trolley would increase from 50 cents to $1 under the plan. MATA carries about 50,000 riders daily, including about 475 disabled people. This year's budget is $33.1 million. About 20 people spoke at the hearing in the Central Station boardroom, many of them disabled people using wheelchairs or crutches. Almost all the speakers objected to the proposed increases. Many also raised complaints about MATA, ranging from poorly maintained buses to unsafe drivers to alleged administrative mismanagement. "I've been riding MATA buses since junior high and I've never seen such horrible buses in my life," said Frances Uttilla, one of the speakers who uses a wheelchair. "The buses have holes in them. They have leaks in them. They have everything (wrong) that you can imagine." In addition to the condition of the buses, Uttilla complained MATA's Sunday service is too limited. "If we could get better service, we would not mind paying that money," Uttilla said. "We're protesting the way the buses are now." William Dortch, another MATAplus user, complained about discourteous drivers. Dortch, who uses crutches, recounted one instance when a driver complained about having to assist him in exiting a bus and anothe instance when a driver arrived before a requested pickup time and then threatened to leave. "MATA needs to have a day of getting to know its customers," Dortch said. "We don't know them. They don't know us." Betty Anderson, president of a disabled advocacy group called the Barrier Free Memphis Society, said MATAplus drivers often operate in an unsafe manner, refusing to wear seatbelts or obey speed limits. Anderson said MATA needs to "get its act together" before considering fare increases. Johnnie Mosley, chairman of Citizens for Better Service, a watchdog group that monitors MATA, said the authority should reduce its administrative costs before considering any fare increases. "MATA board members, let's think about the poor, the outcasts and the lock-outs in this community," Mosley said. MATA's board of directors is expected to discuss the proposed fare increases at an April 18 meeting. That meeting is scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m. in the Central Station boardroom. If adopted, the new fares would likely go into effect in early to mid-June. M. P. Carter, chairman of MATA's board, said she and her colleagues are listening to what people have to say and that nothing is etched in stone. However, she said there appear to be few financial alternatives, provided MATA keeps the same level of service. To reach reporter Blake Fontenay, call 529-2386 or E-mail fontenay@gomemphis.com Caption: photo (2) Copyright 2000 The Commercial Appeal, Memphis, TN Accession Number: 0004080204 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------