McKeown proposes free bus passes for Santa Monica Residents

Chase WhorleStaff WriterSanta Monica city council member Kevin McKeown has proposed a plan that grants free bus rides to all Santa Monica residents.In August, the Big Blue Bus fares increased from 75 cents to $1.00, and the student fare doubled from its original price of 50 cents to $1.00. According to McKeown, bus riders evaded an even steeper price increase to $1.25. “I delayed that, argued for a smaller increase, and won,”  McKeown said.Some people see McKeown’s proposal as unrealistic. In a recent letter to the editor of the Santa Monica Daily Press, Maria Fotopoulos criticized McKeown’s plan, calling it a “ridiculous proposition to pass.”The fare raise was originally devised to decrease the $6.4 million deficit the Big Blue Bus is currently facing. Other council members have suggested letting developers build on land currently owned by the Big Blue Bus, as an alternative to raising fares again.McKeown proposed that the profit from the developers should be used to give Santa Monica residents free bus passes, because, according to McKeown, the money from the development will make up for the money obtained from riders on the bus.McKeown believes that using the revenue from the developers to give all residents free passes would also benefit the city for multiple reasons.According to McKeown, the Big Blue Bus wouldn’t lose any revenue –– the source of income will be changed, but not the amount of income itself. McKeown also believes that, with free rides for all residents, people would be more inclined to take the bus rather than utilizing other forms of transportation. This would reduce traffic congestion and would bring the city one step closer to having an environmentally-friendly transportation system.Sophomore Tylor Flenoy supports McKeown’s idea for free bus passes. “In Santa Monica, people only take the bus short distances,” Flenoy said. “It doesn’t make sense to pay for a full ride if you’re only going a short distance.”cwhorle@thesamohi.com