WMATA provides records, but with a hitch

Last week, I finally received the records I requested in back in March.  However, WMATA did not provide the proper format.  In my letter, I specifically requested "a format suitable to be viewed in a spreadsheet application. This includes, but is not limited to, Microsoft Excel, Google Spreadsheets, XML, or CSV (Comma Separated Values). I will not accept this report as a printed document."  The reports were sent to me in PDF format.

WMATA instituted it's largest ever fare hike, costing Metro riders at least $.30 more per trip.  The excuse this time is "to close a $189 million budget gap for the fiscal year."  This was the same excuse used when Metro proposed an emergancy $.10 fare hike.

On June 10, 2010, the WMATA Board approved the FY2011 budget. From the FY2010 budget, there was a $189 million shortfall.  The changes to the FY2010 budget were as follows:

WMATA finally responds!

After two long months, WMATA has finally replied back with my PARP request.  The good news is that they will fulfill the request.  The bad news is that it's going to cost $208.00.  WMATA denied my request for a fee waiver, which was expected.  Here is their response in it's entirety:

Letter to the Editor

Original letter:

I am disappointed with the Examiner's coverage of WMATA and it's bloated budget.  In today's paper, it reported that over 70% of the comments received by WMATA indicated that they did not want service cuts.  What I believe is missing from the coverage is where is the money currently going.

After WMATA's last 10-cent increase, I started my own investigation.  I found that in 2008, WMATA spent over 77% of it's expenditures on salaries and benefits while only spending 3% on preventative maintenance.  These figures are available to the public via WMATAs web site.  I also found out that the industry with the highest salaries-to-expenditures ratio is the health care, which comes in at 55%.  Since finding this out, I submitted a Public Access to Records request to WMATA, asking for salary information of it's unionized workers.  My guess is that much of the WMATA force is grossly overpaid when compared to the open-market and it's the ATU that is forcing these fare increases.

I only have so much influence as a private citizen.  I've been working on my investigation on my own time for two months, negotiating slowly with WMATA's legal council to release these records.  As a major news outlet, I expected much more from the Examiner.

I am covering my investigation on my website: http://www.mikesoh.com/tag/wmata

All of my figures and facts have been sourced.

Author’s note: This letter was published in an abridged form on April 12, 2010 in the Washington Examiner.

WMATA Follow-Up

A couple of weeks ago, I introduced my "private investigation" of the WMATA system here in Washington, DC.  Initial results were that WMATA was spending more than 75% on salaries, which seems awfully high considering that they have one of the worst safety records. Only 3% of their expenditures account for "preventive maintenance."

As a result of this, I sent WMATA's legal counsel a Public Access to Records Policy request, which is similar to a Freedom of Information Act request.

Here is the e-mail I received this morning:

Why does WMATA increase fares?

Like most people who live in the National Capital Region (NCR), I use the WMATA Metro system to get to work.  Over the last two years, WMATA has increased fares at least 3 times:

• Jan 6, 2008: Fare are increased for the first time since 2004.  The average increase is about $0.50


• Jun 28, 2009: Bus fares are increased by $0.10 on average


• Feb 28, 2010: Fares are "temporarily increased" by $0.10 on average

There are other fares that were increased but were not included.  Service was also trimmed several times in the last two years.

WMATA, unlike most other subway systems, does not have any dedicated funding from local governments.  Ignoring the fact that they get money from the federal, VA, MD, and DC government every year, the fact is that there is no law saying that these agencies will fund WMATA.  WMATA likes to bring this up every so often to remind people that this is why cuts must be made and fares should increase.

I say bull.