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| Saturday, February 21, 06:20:09pm | [ Login ] [ Contact Forum Admin ] [ Main index ] [ Post a new message ] [ Search | Check update time | Archives: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 ] |
| Subject: service to San Francisco International Airport will begin June 22. | |
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Author: BART Approves 10 Percent Fare Increase for Next YearJan. 1--04 |
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Date Posted: Tuesday, May 27, 07:36:20am In reply to: Visa Cash Solution for Public Transportation Bill Powell San Francisco CA USALast modified: 01/24/2001 06:07:41 PM 's message, "San Francisco--seperate file." on Saturday, April 05, 01:49:34am http://www.dailycal.org/article.asp?id=11840 ----------------------------------------------------------- BART Approves 10 Percent Fare Increase for Next Year ----------------------------------------------------------- Staff/Rob Katzer ----------------------------------------------------------- BART riders will have to put more money on their train tickets come Jan. 1 when a new 10 percent fare increase is put into effect. ----------------------------------------------------------- Send us a letter to comment on this article. ----------------------------------------------------------- By PAUL THORNTON Contributing Writer Tuesday, May 27, 2003 ----------------------------------------------------------- Already hit with a 5 percent fare increase earlier this year, BART commuters will have to pay an additional 10 percent in all fares starting next year, BART officials announced Wednesday. ----------------------------------------------------------- BART's decision comes during a budget crunch as the Bay Area transit service is trying to balance a $406.7 million budget. Without the fare hike, BART officials face a projected deficit of $38.8 million next year. ----------------------------------------------------------- "This was primarily due to the continued downturn in the economy which has had unprecedented impacts on our two primary sources of revenue," said BART General Manager Thomas Margro in a statement. ----------------------------------------------------------- BART pulled in lower farebox revenues because of reduced ridership, Margro said. Reduced sales tax receipts from the three BART counties also diminished BART's budget. ----------------------------------------------------------- Currently, BART riders pay a $3.25 fare for a ride from the Downtown Berkeley station to Fremont. ----------------------------------------------------------- The approved 10 percent increase, effective Jan. 1, 2004, will cause that fare to jump to more than $3.50. ----------------------------------------------------------- To make future fare increases more predictable, the BART Board of Directors passed a system tying fare adjustments to inflation rates, Board President Pete Snyder said in a statement. ----------------------------------------------------------- The new standard for raising fares will take effect January 2006. ----------------------------------------------------------- "Increases are never great, but they're struggling as much as every government institution," said Berkeley City Councilmember Dona Spring. "It's still a lot cheaper than driving a car." ----------------------------------------------------------- BART's financial situation was exacerbated in November when voters failed to approve Measure BB, which would have provided $1.05 billion in bonds for the transit system's seismic upgrade projects. ----------------------------------------------------------- Measure BB needed two-thirds approval from Alameda, Contra Costa and San Francisco counties to pass. It garnered just 64 percent of the vote. ----------------------------------------------------------- Among other cost-saving measures, the BART Board of Directors voted to eliminate 126 staff positions in 2004. ----------------------------------------------------------- Although the 10 percent fare increase may hurt the transit system in the long term, some UC Berkeley students who ride BART said the decision was justified given the current budget situation. ----------------------------------------------------------- "I'm just kind of mad about the ideal of (fare increases)," said UC Berkeley senior Dave Law. ----------------------------------------------------------- "I can only see that more increases will drive people away from the BART system. It seems like a last-ditch effort to get out of their situation," he continued. ----------------------------------------------------------- Even though fares are going up, some students will continue to use BART. ----------------------------------------------------------- "I'll probably still take BART," said UC Berkeley sophomore Ariel Ravid. "It hurts the people who don't have money, so it won't affect students much." ----------------------------------------------------------- BART is not the only Bay Area public transit services trudging through a dismal financial situation. ----------------------------------------------------------- AC Transit slashed service on 25 of its bus lines February to help offset its projected 2004 budget deficit of $12 million. ----------------------------------------------------------- In April, AC Transit announced it was considering axing the Class Pass. UC Berkeley students pay $34.20 each semester for the pass, which provides unlimited bus rides. Officials decided to take the Class Pass off the chopping block two weeks later. ----------------------------------------------------------- Unlike BART, however, voters passed a parcel tax last November to aid AC Transit through its difficult fiscal situation. ----------------------------------------------------------- Even though BART is facing declining yearly revenues, it announced April that service to San Francisco International Airport will begin June 22. ----------------------------------------------------------- [ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ] |
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| Lawmakers make push for transit billCALIFORNIA STANDS TO GET $25 BILLION OVER SIX YEARS | No name | Thursday, May 29, 06:11:51am |