In his slick mailers and TV ads, Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele boasts over and over that he hasn’t raised bus fares or cut bus routes since taking office.
But that boast is only half-true.
Abele must be forgetting about the Milwaukeeans who depend on the county’s Paratransit service Transit Plus, those who have disabilities that prevent them from using Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS) buses.
While fixed-route bus fares have remained flat since Scott Walker left the county executive’s office and Abele has been able to keep routes going thanks to federal moneys and funding that resulted from a federal lawsuit filed by community groups, the Paratransit system is another story. Quite simply, Chris Abele raised Paratransit fares.
In fact, Abele tried to raise Paratransit fares a whopping 38% in 2012 in his first recommended county budget. In a press release, Abele called the spike a “small increase.” Fortunately, the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors whittled back Abele’s proposed $1.25 hike for a one-way fare to a 75-cent increase. With additional fare cuts in 2014, Paratransit fares were reduced further. But as it stands now, Paratransit fares have increased 25 cents per ride during Abele’s reign, from $3.25 to $3.50 for a one-way ticket, more than a 7.5% increase.
We’re not sure why Abele would forget about the year he wanted to gouge the county’s Paratransit riders who have disabilities, but he did, in fact, try to do it. The bottom line is that Paratransit fares have risen on his watch.
We’re sure Chris Abele’s next glossy mailer or TV ad will include a correction about his efforts to increase bus fares for disabled Milwaukeeans. Any truthful, trustworthy public servant would be honest about their record in office and not repeat lies with the hope that the public will be brainwashed into believing them.
