Preexisting condition is making a good point here. If the public company really listen to the public input, to the point of halting a fee hike, then they are to be admired and rewarded for that. If instead the public company simply set these meetings to present the appearance that they are higly democratic and benevolent (like we know school districts, water services, electricity utility usually do), then these hearings are are a pitiful, pethetic waste of time. A public company "executive" is worthless if he/she can solve problems simply and only by rising fees/taxes, ignoring the public opinion. If they are so good they have higher salaries than senators, for example, then they should solve their financial problems cutting waste in the many areas they have been shown by the media they are wasteful on. That's what City Manager Scully should do, too: cut the waste among city employees and "executives". But what she does? Just cut the services to the citizens, leaving them unprotected and helpless. Nice.

The average citizen has no clue of the actual cost of keeping a huge fleet of buses up and running. If you've had your personal vehicle repaired recently, you know those costs keep rising, just like everything else you purchase. And you probably don't operate your vehicle upwards of 16 hours continuously every day. Compare VIA's fares to any other municipality in the country. They are among the very lowest.

I believe the WOAI story is incomplete. Part of the rate increase is to eliminate the 25-cent fare between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. for elderly and disabled. Elimination of this reduced fare will result in a 140% increase for the elderly and disabled, the two classes of riders most vulnerable to rate hikes due to their fixed income status. To News-4 I ask whether that part of the rate hike is still part of the proposal or has VIA withdrawn that portion of the rate hike that will harm the elderly and disabled rider? If it remains a part of the rate hike then why did News -4 not report that as part of the rate hike story?

Last year when the held a public hearing on a similar rate hike the incensed public appeared and commented heavily against the proposal and as a result the rate hike last year was abandoned, to be represented this year as a slightly modified proposal. The public hearing is neither a waste of time or money.

How are they wasting money hosting a meeting to the public? I think allowing the public to air any grievances is better than everything being behind closed doors. The bus rate hike seems reasonable, but I wish public colleges and universities were as affordable as those bus rates.

Waste of time and money holding these so-called meetings and hearings.