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One man's double fare double take
May 24, 2012 | 08:50 PM TODAY WE SAW THE COUNTY DOUBLE DOWN ON UNFAIRLY RAISED FARES AND MAKE, THEN IMMEDIATELY BREAKS, PROMISE TO IMPROVE PROCESS TRANSPARENCY AND FEEDBACK: Despite the dozen or so people who managed to make it up to counsel chambers and mobilize around this issue in a short time frame; those fiercely and coherently opposed to the unfair fare hike, whom were lucky enough to be allowed to testify today, before promptly getting their thing back on fast track, running over untold #'s of poverty shackled people tied to tracksportation, and the ramming democratic process even further off the tracks, AND DESPITE the repeated claims from Maui Council Persons/Budget Commissioners (coming off as lip-service and posturing) and ultimately a pivot to what (for all we know) was their original objective: TODAY WE WERE TAKEN FOR A RIDE, though we can count some qualified sucesses. ALTHOUGH: In Mike Victorino's last minute budget amendment, which passed after a failed amendment to the amendment from Mike White and Bob Carroll would have froze rates pending a possible fumble recovery from the county... ~FARES ARE SET TO INCREASE BY 100% JULY 1ST (unless something dramatic happens). ~One-way fares will remain, although their price will be doubled to $2. ~Day passes will come down from the scary $5 proposed level, to only a DOUBLED in price $4. We did see some fast dissassociating from "backrooming" and slick maneuvering with promises to open up decision making process to various stakeholders, most notably by putting up notices on buses and soliciting community input before instituting broad changes to services or structures... STARTING FIRST THING TOMORROW APPARENTLY!?! If you find this unacceptable and wish to organize and explore what further options for remediation and recourse might still exist, or to continue with can of worm-ridden dialogue this debacle has opened re county services in general, might I suggest looking into the 'Occupy Maui Bus Working Group' on facebook. Mr.Paleface Pā'ia |