Riding the bus just stopped being an option

Posted on by David Hall

I can no longer ride the bus, because of Asheville Transit's recently implemented "master plan." For one thing, it concentrates more on taking away/consolidating routes than significantly improving them. For another, it has resulted in the quadrupling of monthly bus fares. I believe these decisions made by the city were not only poorly thought out, but represent yet another blow to the low-income citizens of Asheville.

This would have been a reasonable plan had the city just taken these simple measures: 1) offered monthly fare discounts to low-income citizens, as well as to disabled/seniors; 2) gradually raised monthly bus fare instead of suddenly increasing it by 300 percent; 3) used a smaller bus for route 54 rather than do away with this route entirely.

Considering this abomination, I don't understand how we can refer to Asheville as a "green" city. We spend millions on unnecessary roadwork and expensive parks; yet we do little to address alternative-transportation needs for low-income citizens.

— David Hall
Asheville

SHARE

Thanks for reading through to the end…

We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.

We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.

About Webmaster
Mountain Xpress Webmaster Follow me @MXWebTeam
View all posts by Webmaster →

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

2 thoughts on “Riding the bus just stopped being an option”

  1. travelah

    David, you live in a progressive town. Give one of the newly elected city council peeps a call!

  2. Josh O'Conner

    As a member of the City of Asheville Transit Commission, I wanted to point out that the City has not yet implemented it’s recently approved Transit Master Plan. These changes will be implemented over the coming months (and years for some changes).

    The recent changes in fares apply to Route 28 (which provides service between Asheville and Black Mountain). Removing Route 54 was not a a decision made as part of the master plan, but occurred as a result of funding issues (it is important to note that the Town of Weaverville decided to discontinue their funding contribution to this route). While these changes are certainly not the most desirable scenario, they were necessary due to funding issues at the state level.

    The Transit Commission encourages active public involvement in the decisions that effect the City of Asheville Transit Commission. Meeting minutes and upcoming meeting times can be found at:
    http://www.ashevillenc.gov/government/mayor_city_council/city_council/default.aspx?id=3012

Leave a Reply

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.