![]() ![]() Imagine a world where discounts were designed around customers considering the special needs of college students. Imagine a world where a trip cost the same price northbound and southbound. The consequence is that a short trip costs 10% more northbound than southbound, which is confusing and nonsensical for customers, and college students need to pay nearly double for the same trip. So BART frowns on offering a transfer discount or student discount that could negatively impact their budget. ![]() The explanation for these pricing asymmetries is that BART's budget works differently than VTA's budget - fare revenue makes up over 70% of BART’s operating budget compared to less than 10% for VTA. Considering how many San Jose state students are food insecure, this fare increase could mean hardship for cash-strapped students. Once the line opens, the student will take the 500 bus from City Hall and transfer at Berryessa the trip will cost $3.70, an extra $2.40 per day over the price prior to the BART extension. Today, a student who lives in Fremont pays a $2.50 surcharge for the 181 express bus that takes them from near the University to the Warm Springs/South Fremont station. The asymmetry is worse for students and workers who use a VTA Smartpass allowing them to use VTA local service without charge. But passengers traveling in the opposite direction from VTA to BART do not get any discount. Passengers transferring from BART in Santa Clara County to VTA bus or light rail will get a $.50 discount. The new fare structure is both complicated to understand and unaffordable to many transit users, and will likely suppress potential transit ridership for the new extension. The new fare structure for the BART Silicon Valley extension shows some of the seams in the regions fare system, reflecting a logic that makes sense as a strategy to balance transit agency budgets, but not a system that is in the best interest of customers. ![]()
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