The November Vote

While the nation anxiously prepares for the presidential election, another vote in November will have important consequences for light rail commuters in the Metro East region. On Election Day, St. Louis county residents will vote for the next president of the U.S., but they will also vote for or against a proposed half-cent increase in the transit sales tax.

If approved, the revenue from the tax increase would go toward Metro operating expenses and future MetroLink expansion. People who support the increase argue for the need and value of investing in a better public transportation system. Opponents charge that the increase would tax large numbers of people who hardly use the MetroLink.

Whatever the case, the need to raise the level of its image going into the election, perhaps influenced officials at MetroLink to recently announce its intention to “double the number of fare inspectors” on the light rail. Commuters have long complained that too many passengers ride the train free because of an “honor system” that many say leads people to ride the light rail without paying.

Having more fare inspectors helps ensure that passengers are actually paying for the service. More importantly though, raising the visibility of more fare inspectors perhaps assists the MetroLink’s public image, a necessity for success on the transit sales tax increase in November.

For now, we’ve been primarily paying attention to the light rail here in southern Illinois. However, it’s worth noting how the political issues in St. Louis County and the objective of MetroLink to add more fare inspectors will likely have effects on the experiences of Illinois light rail travelers as well.

We’ll keep following these developments. You can help us build knowledge on the situation by passing along links to relevant articles or sharing your insight on the topic.