Metrolink announces new $10 weekend pass for unlimited rides
Posted by in Policy & Funding on May 16, 2011 - 11:02 am
It has been very interesting to see Metrolink under CEO John Fenton in the past few months. The commuter rail agency has added service to Angel games, evening service from Union Station in L.A. and express trains on its Antelope Valley and San Bernardino lines.
And now this: a new weekend pass that allows riders unlimited travel. The deal has also been extended to monthly pass holders, who currently have unlimited travel between the origin and destination station the pass is purchased for. It will be interesting to see how this impacts ridership over the next few months.
The press release from Metrolink is posted after the jump. Metro is one of the five county transportation agencies in Southern California that funds Metrolink.
Metrolink Board Approves New Ticketing Options Starting July 1
New options include $10 unlimited system-wide weekend passes and added discounts for students
Los Angeles – Effective July 1, Southern Californians can buy a weekend pass to ride unlimited Metrolink trains for only $10. Unlimited weekend riding will also be added for monthly pass holders at no additional cost. These additions and other modifications to the agency’s fare policy were approved by the Metrolink Board of Directors on Friday, May 13 following a public hearing and broad outreach to passengers for their comments.
The unlimited weekend passes will be valid system-wide between Friday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at midnight and also include connections to bus and rail across the region, except Amtrak, at no additional charge.
“Our new unlimited weekend pass allows passengers to travel across the region at no charge for our monthly pass holders and for only $10 for those who do not have monthly passes,” said Metrolink Board Chairman Richard Katz. “This allows someone to travel to destinations such as theme parks and civic centers, for one, low fee without worrying about filling up their car with gas or paying to park.”
Additionally, the following adjustments will go into effect on July 1:
* New 10 percent student discount added to one-way and roundtrip ticket. Students will continue to receive discounts on 7-Day and the monthly pass.
* New 7-Day Pass will be good seven consecutive days from purchase between a set origination and destination.
* The 10-Trip Ticket will be discontinued. A significant amount of lost revenue is attributed to this type of ticket due to a failure to validate, resulting in fare evasion.
“The 7-Day Pass will reduce the usage of validators, which will make taking a Metrolink even more convenient for passengers by eliminating a step before boarding the train and saves the agency in maintenance costs,” Katz said. “Going forward, we expect to collect a significant amount of revenue that would have been lost due to misuse of the 10-Trip Ticket.”
ABOUT METROLINK
Metrolink is Southern California’s regional commuter rail service in its 19th year of operations. The Southern California Regional Rail Authority (SCRRA), a joint powers authority made up of an 11-member board representing the transportation commissions of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties, governs the service. Metrolink operates over seven routes through a six-county, 512 route-mile network.
No comments:
Post a Comment