Muni raising fares again: $1.2 billion not enough!

In yesterday's SF Chronicle:

...The MTA Board of Directors will discuss the possible fare changes Tuesday as part of its budget planning process, which will also include consideration of increased fees for everything from residential parking permits to parking citations. The agency needs to close an anticipated $23 million gap for the coming budget year that starts July 1 and $20 million for the following year.

The deficits are the result of a variety of factors, including free fares to low-and moderate-income youth, seniors and disabled riders, reductions in towing fees for low-income drivers, an increase in the number of MTA staff, and pension and health care costs...

Rob's comment:

The story tells us the MTA has a $1.2 billion budget. 

How many people are now working in the MTA? Hard to say, since the numbers on the state's Government Compensation site are from 2016, when it had 6,345 employees, a $488,856,216 payroll, and $157,880,371 in retirement and health costs. Click on "2016" to see how the number of employees has been steadily growing in recent years. 

What do all those people do?

More from the story:

Visitor passports, which offer unlimited rides for one, three or seven days, would drop sharply under a proposal to discount passes purchased and loaded on Clipper cards and the MuniMobile app. Now $22 for a single-day pass, including cable car rides, $33 for three days and $43 for seven days, the price would drop to $12 for one day, $24 for three and $39 for seven — if purchased electronically. Passports bought in person, with cash or credit cards, would cost $23, $34 and $45 respectively. Muni is also proposing a new type of fare — a one-day pass valid for unlimited rides except on cable cars — and priced at a rate equal to 2.5 rides, or $6.25.

If it's any consolation to city residents, the above shows that Muni has been ripping off tourists even more.

We learn that other cities don't rip off tourists for day passes as shamelessly as San Francisco: 

Day passes are common at many transit agencies, including AC Transit, which charges $5, and the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, where passes cost $7. Nationally, day passes range from $5 in Portland, Ore., to $10 in Chicago.

Having a hard time paying off your parking tickets, which are the most expensive in the country? Compassionate Muni has a program that allows you to make payments---or to work it off doing community service: Making it easier for low-income people to pay off citations