HB

Comment on Portland Transit Lane regarding locations of fare missions:

In this climate of “fare is fare” that’s being run by the company; we have to take a closer look at this situation and draw a couple of things by this, one: the target area and the population and the ability to pay fares that are on the rise consistently as service is lessen, two: what type of impact that this will have on the communities the company services.

In the first part, the target area is in North Portland where the lines 72 and 4 are located. Looking at the population in that area you have some of the lowest income and unemployment in the company’s service area (7.1 in Multnomah County, 6.4 for Washington County, 6.2 for Hood River County, 7.7 for Yamhill County and 6.9 for Clackamas County as of July of this year). Which means the area that “is” least likely to be able to consistently keep up with the fare hikes; if you take out the Rose Quarter (Moda Center) events, the numbers alone would indicate that this area is the “only” target, with token inspections elsewhere, or if you just take out the inspections for the Max, there would not have any inspections concentrated in any other area.
Although there have been an influx of money in this area (just look at Mississippi 20 years ago), there is still low income and unemployment rampant in these areas that make up North and Northeast Portland. With the company’s continuing war with the Union, and blaming the Union for “all” financial problems (which has been disproven time and again), while giving themselves a raise at the same time and then claim transparency, this “is” the flip-side of the coin, which has a huge negative impact in this community. Low income areas are the target.
For a company that hires using diversity (minorities receive the most severe punishments, although they have the highest attendance records); or they contract out using Transit Equity, which no lay person can understand; or the discounts they provide to certain groups. This stat should not be a part of this company’s core values, but it is.
If you just look at this in a “business” sense, “it is what it is.” If you look at a moral sense, this is disturbing. As we commemorate The Walk on Washington’s 50th year anniversary tomorrow (August 28, 2013), we have to think “are we better than this?”
HB