Article in Yesterday's Daily Camera

RTD approves fare, Eco Pass rate increases

Employees of small businesses could lose bus passes altogether

By Zak Brown
Tuesday, August 19, 2008

DENVER — More than 130 businesses in Boulder could face a 19 percent rate increase for the Eco Passes they provide their employees — and some bus riders could lose their passes altogether — under a proposal that took a step forward Tuesday night.

A Regional Transportation District proposal moved forward despite objections from Boulder’s representative on the transit authority board.

The RTD staff has suggested the 15-member board of directors approve changes to the structure of the Eco Pass program, which allows employers to buy annual transit passes for employees. The agency is facing a projected $35.6 million deficit for 2009 as a result of rising gas prices and slumping sales-tax revenue, and officials say the changes to the Eco Pass program would save about $3 million.

Part of the proposal is a 19 percent fare increase for the Eco Pass, higher than the 14 percent increase suggested across the board for bus and light-rail tickets.

Companies with fewer than 50 employees also would not be able to participate in the program, and neighborhoods not already in the Eco Pass program wouldn’t be able to join.

A $5 fare would also be added to the SkyRide route, which is now free to Eco Pass users.

At its monthly meeting Tuesday night, the RTD Board of Directors voted to allow the proposed changes to be opened to public comment; details of the commenting process will be announced next month. The decision did not approve the recommended changes.

RTD board member John Tayer moved to reject some of them.

Tayer, whose district includes Boulder, proposed an amendment Tuesday night asking the board to remove the 50-employee limit, the neighborhood moratorium and the $5 SkyRide fee.

“You have seen the e-mails, and you have heard the testimony tonight,” Tayer said. “These changes will have a devastating impact on riders.”

Tayer’s motion was defeated 9-5. The motion to allow for public comment on the entire proposal was approved 13-1 — with Tayer the only dissenting vote.

After public input, the RTD staff will present a final recommendation to the board by its October meeting.

Several board members referred to the Eco Pass as a “Boulder program” or a “Boulder problem.” Board member O’Neill P. Quinlan, who represents the Interstate 25 corridor and adjacent portions of Arapahoe and Douglas counties, said the Eco Pass mostly benefits the Boulder area and that the board shouldn’t “favor Boulder in spite of our other districts.”

Boulder County residents, workers and government officials spoke before the board to denounce the changes. Boulder County Transportation Director George Gerstle, Go Boulder program manager Martha Roskowski and the University of Colorado’s David Cook all asked the board to reject the changes except for the 14 percent fare increase.

Cook, CU’s transportation modes coordinator, read a statement from the school’s vice chancellor for administration, Frank Bruno.

“We accept management’s request for the across-the-board fare increase resulting from increased fuel costs,” said Bruno, former Boulder city manager. “But rather than levy this increase at once, we would strongly urge you to stagger the increase over a three-year period.”

Sean Bell, of Louisville, is trying to start an Eco Pass program in his neighborhood. Bell spoke before the board and asked for the moratorium to be rejected. He said the fare increases are acceptable, but other changes are “structural.”

“Slipping in major structuring changes is kind of like back-dooring a policy that really takes away an incentive that people like,” Bell said.