In the tax cut bill moving through Congress, they finally will restore transit benefit parity! Both the transit and parking benefits -- using pre-tax dollars to pay for transit or parking respectively -- is going from (all numbers monthly) $130 for transit and $250 for parking :angry2: to $255 for both. http://federalnewsradio.com/budget/2015/12/pay-raise-transit-benefits-parity-gives-feds-optimism-2016/ http://www.citylab.com/politics/2015/12/congress-tax-deal-commuter-benefits-parity-2016/420729/ The two numbers used to be the same, at the higher of the two ($235 IIRC), but Congress let parity lapse a couple of years back. (Apparently, the "cut taxes, always!" reflex was overridden by the "only drivers really matter/transit is socialism" instinct. :wacko: )
Obviously, the disparitymatters mattered mainly to commuter-rail monthly passholders. I don't think any urban system has monthly unlimited-ride passes over $130; for instance, NYC is $116.50 and Chicago is $100. But many commuter-rail monthly passes are over $130: Metra in Chicago has fare zones from A (downtown terminals) to M (the farthest wilds of Harvard :giggle: ) with a monthly pass in every zone from C upwards being over $130 but only zones K & M* over $255.
*No L, presumably because the CTA already has that one covered. :giggle:
Obviously, the disparity
*No L, presumably because the CTA already has that one covered. :giggle:
