Over the number of years I have lived in Nashville, I have been an avid consumer of our city’s transit system. I am over 65 and have a very fixed, limited income. I have lived through any number of “plans to improve” Nashville’s transit system. But it seems to me that those plans haven’t worked or have just been abandoned by the folks in charge of making the improvements. As someone dependent on the bus system to get me around town, it’s been frustrating!
And now there’s a new plan. Beginning on Oct. 1, 2023, WeGo eliminated on-board transfers, and requires over-65 riders to adopt their Quick Ticket fare option or pay out the wazoo for a ride to and from the grocery store or pharmacy. At retail locations, WeGo will require riders to pay an additional $3 “processing fee” when they buy a new card and give vital personal information to them for the privilege of accessing this senior fare. I suppose this “processed” validation will require a second card so that we can get a senior rate fare at QT retail outlets in town. Just another piece of the complicated puzzle to keep track of. And who is going to have access to this vital personal information? This plan certainly does not make bus travel or life easier for senior riders!
It’s apparent to me that whoever came up with this new plan for senior fares is 1) not a senior resident of Nashville and 2) does not use Quick Tickets on a regular basis. There have been several times that I have tried to use the tickets and they haven’t worked. If your QT gets wet, it won’t work. If the QT reader on the bus doesn’t work when you try to scan your QT, your QT will not work on the next bus you try to board. And what if a rider with an arm full of groceries drops their QT or forgets where they put it? All of these fails mean that a senior is out of scarce funds. And someone living on a shoestring already doesn’t want to be aggravated by some complicated fare procedure.
I called WeGo to ask about the hoops seniors must jump through to take a ride on a city bus. A very nice woman told me that I could just put my credit card on my phone to access a ride. I didn’t have the heart to tell her that I don’t have enough money to have a credit card and if I did I certainly wouldn’t put that kind of dangerous information on my phone. I’m poor and old! Please!
Our new mayor says he has ANOTHER PLAN to improve transit in Nashville. I can only hope that this one allows seniors to access a ride for free without a processing charge. We built this city. Consider it reparations for all that we have done. I’ll be walking the miles down the road to the grocery after Oct. 1. Honk if you see an old woman or man pulling a cart full of bundles down the road! We’ll appreciate your support!
A previous version of this story incorrectly outlined prices for WeGo riders. We regret this error.