Living in an urban area such as Portland, transportation is a basic need just like housing, food, clothing, etc. There are some (inadequate) programs regarding housing, food and clothing for very low income Portlanders. However, there is no program at all for transportation.
Tri-met provides discounts for older and disabled individuals, but nothing based upon income. A monthly adult bus pass is currently $71 or $72 dollars and will be going up again in September to $74. It makes no sense to provide a discount to a high income 65 year old while a very low income 30 year old individual (perhaps a single mom) is effectively barred from regular use of public transportation. Even the honored citizen pass will go up again in September to $23 from only $16 early in 2005 an increase of more than 40% in one year.
I manage a non-profit that serves low income individuals living with HIV/AIDS. We attempt to provide montly passes to our lowest income clients in order to allow them to access services. Each time the cost of passes goes up, the number of passes we are able to provide goes down.
Not only low-income indiduals suffer when tri-met prices go up. My middle income collegue finds it cheaper to drive in 16 miles each day and pay high gas prices than to buy a tri-met pass and ride the max. As a consequence we all pay with traffic congestion and greenhouse gases.
Sam. Please use your influence to find a way to make public transportation affordable and available to all in our city.
Thank you for your kind consideration. Lowen.