(Mori)Bus Philosophorum: Fair Hike?

You know that debit card commercial showing a bustling food court where customer after customer slides his card and gets efficiently on with his business; everything’s going smoothly until some apparent caveman from another dimension whips out a checkbook, bringing everything screeching to a halt?  Yeah, getting on the bus is a lot like that.  The doors open, everyone swarms to get on and things move right along until someone needs a day pass (which requires feeding three dollars into the fare column) or is paying with small coins.  This is a minor headache most days but I’m really dreading April 1st, when the fare hike goes into effect.  Instead of $3 for a day pass, it’ll be $4.  33% more time waiting behind someone purchasing one.  50% more time waiting for someone paying in change to scrounge up the new $1.50 base fare.  And there are probably many people who don’t even know about the increase who will need reeducation upon boarding. Forget about the fact that my $36 monthly Swiper is now going to cost $55.  Who does CDTA think I am, anyway?  A person with disposable income who allows herself ample time to get to work in the morning?  Well, they are in for a surprise.  I’m also fearful that a higher price for the monthly Swipers will discourage low-income people from purchasing them at the beginning of the month.  So all this means fewer people will be paying with “debit cards,” and many more will be reaching for the, “checkbook.”   I anticipate a minor screeching-to-a-halt.  Hopefully peer pressure to keep things moving (or, ahem, all that stimulus money CDTA is getting) will make this a non-issue.