Bus fares should be shared
Issue date: 10/3/08 Section: Opinion
At last week's city council meeting, aldermen could not agree on whether to charge fares to nonstudents using the GoWest bus system or not. In October of 2006, the fares were implemented. Most of the funding comes from an allocation of funds from section 5311 of a federal transportation grant; the rest is from our student fees.
As students, we don't want to pay for a service that will extend to other community members with our own fees. We aren't saying we don't care about Macomb residents, but we are affected by the poor economy and high prices too. We cannot afford to be the sole supporters of a transit service that many of us don't even use at all. If the funding is not solely on our shoulders, though, we can understand the charge waiver.
Students are essentially paying a tax for a local service, a tax which nonstudent residents are not forced to pay. We should not be expected to pay for a service other community members are receiving for free. Like it or not, every student at Western is a Macomb resident, at least for a temporary span of time, and we should be treated with the same respect as nonstudent Macomb residents. If a service is being offered to everyone equally, then everyone it is offered to should be paying for it equally.
Consider this: someday, that big chunk of federal funding could become obsolete, and if that happens, who is carrying all the weight? One of two consequences will result: the students will have to bear the financial burden, or GoWest will no longer be in service. Both consequences will be bad for the overall community.
It all comes down to this: It only takes 50 cents, and possibly less, for each trip on the GoWest buses. If the price of gas, vehicle purchase and upkeep are factored in, 50 cents is a bargain, and at the WC, we think this is a more than fair price to pay. This should not be such a debated issue. If residents were out hundreds of dollars, or even $50, such controversy would be not only understandable, but expected.
Everyone has bills to pay, and just because it has a "Western" emblem on the side doesn't mean the service is exclusive to students; therefore, we should bear the bus fare burden together.
As students, we don't want to pay for a service that will extend to other community members with our own fees. We aren't saying we don't care about Macomb residents, but we are affected by the poor economy and high prices too. We cannot afford to be the sole supporters of a transit service that many of us don't even use at all. If the funding is not solely on our shoulders, though, we can understand the charge waiver.
Students are essentially paying a tax for a local service, a tax which nonstudent residents are not forced to pay. We should not be expected to pay for a service other community members are receiving for free. Like it or not, every student at Western is a Macomb resident, at least for a temporary span of time, and we should be treated with the same respect as nonstudent Macomb residents. If a service is being offered to everyone equally, then everyone it is offered to should be paying for it equally.
Consider this: someday, that big chunk of federal funding could become obsolete, and if that happens, who is carrying all the weight? One of two consequences will result: the students will have to bear the financial burden, or GoWest will no longer be in service. Both consequences will be bad for the overall community.
It all comes down to this: It only takes 50 cents, and possibly less, for each trip on the GoWest buses. If the price of gas, vehicle purchase and upkeep are factored in, 50 cents is a bargain, and at the WC, we think this is a more than fair price to pay. This should not be such a debated issue. If residents were out hundreds of dollars, or even $50, such controversy would be not only understandable, but expected.
Everyone has bills to pay, and just because it has a "Western" emblem on the side doesn't mean the service is exclusive to students; therefore, we should bear the bus fare burden together.
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