OCEAN CITY, Md. -- Town officials are expected to vote on Monday, April 17th on whether or not to increase fares. The price hikes would apply to town buses and the boardwalk tram.
The town is struggling to find drivers for both forms of transportation. So, they increased the pay for tram drivers to $15.91 per hour and $20.50 per hour for bus drivers. Add on high fuel prices and a want to stay competitive with other beach areas, like Rehoboth and Bethany, and the town saw an increase in fares as the best way to make up the difference.
An all-day bus pass would go from $3.00 to $4.00 and a one-way tram ticket would go from $4.00 to $5.00. While on the surface, the uptick in prices may not look all that bad, a few people we spoke with worry this could drive people away from using public transportation.
"When you think of $4.00 to $5.00, that's 25%," said Maxine Perlmutter.
Perlmutter and her husband, Jim, recently bought a house in Ocean City. With a large family that comes to visit them, they say even a dollar increase could end up hurting.
"My daughter has 3 kids, when 5 people come that’s $50 if they want to just travel up and down the boardwalk," said Maxine Perlmutter.
Jim Perlmutter is hoping the town goes for a more creative package rather than a one-size-fits-all motto.
"I think people ought to have the opportunity to have discounted fares if they have like a family pack or they have discounted rates based on age, I think that would be good for disability or people over 70," said Jim Perlmutter.
While Ocean City buses do offer a senior citizen discount, the boardwalk tram does not.
If town officials do vote to increase fares, the price hike will go into effect on May 1st, 2023.