MIAMI (WSVN) – Miami-Dade commissioners moved to raise fares for Metrorail and bus riders by 50 cents in a 9-4 vote on Tuesday. Mayor Daniella Levine Cava is also expected to devise a plan that could impose a fee on the historically free-to-ride Metromover in downtown Miami.<\/p>\n
At the start of the new year and for the first time since 2013, county commissioners have voted to raise Metrorail and bus fares. The current $2.25 fee per ticket will be raised to $2.75 starting on Jan. 1, 2027.<\/p>\n
Some riders have already spoken out against the coming change, calling it the price hike unfair and a significant change.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ll have to adjust your whole life in order to adjust to what the county is doing,\u201d said Michael, a frequent public transit user.<\/p>\n
Members of the public at Tuesday\u2019s meeting said the increased fares will have the most severe impact on residents who rely on public transit.<\/p>\n
\u201cTaking the Metrorail twice a day sums up to an additional $240 per year,\u201d Gabriella said during public comments.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a full-time student, I rely on transit five days a week to go to campus and back home,\u201d said Israel Dobris, another speaker at Tuesday\u2019s meeting.<\/p>\n
Despite concerns of stretching budgets for riders, commissioners expect the rate hike to bring in roughly $10 million in additional revenue for Miami-Dade.<\/p>\n
Levine Cava said that money will allow the county to restore late night bus services.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll be able to restore night service and also full routes. Some of the routes that we had proposed to eliminate because of lower ridership still are critically important so some of those will be fully restored,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Commissioners said it was a necessary move to ensure those services could be restored for residents who had no other way to get home at those odd hours.<\/p>\n
\u201cI took that last bus so if you\u2019re on the last bus or the first bus, you\u2019re doing it because you don\u2019t have any other choice,\u201d Miami-Dade Commissioner Oliver Gilbert.<\/p>\n
Commissioners also directed Levine Cava to devise a plan that would impose a fee on the downtown Metromover, which has historically been available for all riders at no additional cost.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe actually directed the administration to figure it out once and for all to charge $1 plus whatever the fee collection is, because for years they\u2019ve been saying that they can\u2019t figure out the fee collection so it\u2019s an enormous step forward,\u201d said Miami-Dade Commissioner Raquel Regalado.<\/p>\n
Officials stressed there will still be some exceptions for residents who meet certain criteria.<\/p>\n
Among those are military veterans, students and senior citizens. Those free and subsidized fares will remain untouched in the coming year.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t go anywhere without having to pay anything,\u201d said Luis Blanco, who relies on his Miami-Dade Transit golden passport to move around. \u201cIt still makes an impact, you know, I don\u2019t have a car so I depend on the public service.\u201d<\/p>\n
Levine Cava said she will also be running significant public outreach campaigns to spread awareness of any free services that transit riders may be able to qualify for as the price hike goes into effect.<\/p>\n
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