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Southern California Transit Advocates is a non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion, development and improvement of public transportation in the Los Angeles metropolitan area.
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Metro fare increase information and perspectives
This document goes beyond the usual public comment function of SO.CA.TA; although we supported a fare increase proposal put forth by Supervisor Gloria Molina, we had previously submitted our own proposal (see lower portion of this page). Our support statement underscored the Molina proposal's providing a fiscally responsible means of increasing revenue and maintaining existing service and construction projects while not unduly penalizing seniors, the disabled, students, and monthly pass holders. Accordingly, we include here the proposal approved by the Board, along with the text of the motion, the SO.CA.TA fare proposal, and other perspectives regarding the fare increase.
Motion by Molina, Fasana, O'Connor, and Yaroslavsky We move that the Board of Directors: 1. Adopt the attached fare schedule for fiscal years 2008 through 2012. 2. Authorize the implementation of the first phase of fare restructuring in 2008 and the second phase in 2010 as outlined in the attached fare schedule. 3. Implement a 25 cent off peak fare for disabled and seniors 65 years and older. The fare shall be valid between the hours of 9:00 AM and 3:00 PM and all day Saturday, Sunday, and Federal holidays. The only proof of eligibility required for seniors shall be a medicare card. 4. Direct the CEO to work with City of Los Angeles to implement the restructuring of downtown bus service and bus only peak-hour lanes as identified by the Mayor of Los Angeles in his letter to the Board dated May 21, 2007. 5. Instruct Metro's legislative advocates to aggressively pursue Metro's share of the 2007 State spillover funds estimated to be up to $110 million. 6. Instruct Metro's legislative advocates to lobby for the reauthorization of the CNG tax credits scheduled to sunset in 2009. 7. Direct the CEO to prepare a comprehensive plan for checking fares on the Orange Line and all rail lines and report back to the Board within 60 days with an implementation plan that can begin within 60 days thereafter. 8. Direct the CEO to perform an analysis of the 25 worst performing bus lines and report back to the Board within 90 days for review. The analysis should contain an assessment of how the lines could be restructured or consolidated in order to improve their performance and make them more cost effective. 9. Direct the CEO to come back to Board within two years with: 1. An analysis of TAP data and possible future alternative fare structures including distance based fares, peak and off peak fares, and premium fares for train and express service. 2. Status of the cost savings from the restructuring of downtown service and the implementation on bus only lanes in partnership with the City of Los Angeles. 10. Direct the CEO to report to the Board quarterly on the ridership and revenue outcomes due to fare restructuring. Attached fare proposal ("Scenario 29")
SDM = Senior/Disabled/Medicare New SDM “off peak” fare good 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., 7 p.m. to end of service day, and Saturday, Sunday, and all Federal holidays, which are not the same as Metro holidays, and good for only seniors 65+. No discounts provided for token customers or for owl service, or midday service on Lines 40 and 42. Semimonthly pass eliminated. Express Zone stamps same cost for EZ or Metro stamp. ========================================== Statement of SO.CA.TA at the public hearing: Southern California Transit Advocates has put together its own fare increase proposal, including a graduated fare increase over the next three years, elimination of the zone fare on many express lines, and a staggered fare increase for the senior/disabled and student fare categories. SO.CA.TA recognizes the need of Metro to increase fares to cover the operating deficit, as other new funding sources cannot be obtained within the time frame needed to stave off serious cuts in bus and rail operations. However, we have concerns regarding the speed of the increase and equity concerns relating to express riders and discounted fare categories. The proposal was ratified by a committee of SO.CA.TA members. ========================================== In addition, we previously commented on the fare increase process. SO.CA.TA fare increase proposal (in Excel format) Highlights: Cash fare increases by 25 cents per year. This becomes the basis for all other fare calculations. Day pass price is set at three times the cash fare. Weekly pass price is set at 12 times the cash fare. Monthly pass price is set at 45 times the cash fare. The senior/disabled cash fare and monthly pass are set at one-half of the full fare. K-12 and college/vocational passes are set at 60% and 70%, respectively, of the full monthly pass price. In addition, the senior/disabled, K-12, and college/vocational passes are limited to a $10/month increase through 2009, to avoid disproportionally high annual increases until they catch up to the formula in 2010. Express fares move away from the zone concept and go to a flat fare, applicable only to "X" lines. Metro can either convert existing non-X express lines to the X concept and charge the new fares, or they can charge base fare and leave them unchanged in terms of alignment and stops. Express cash fare is 75 cents over the non-express cash fare for the first year and then becomes twice the non-express fare beginning in 2008. Express passes would be non-existent in 2007 but then be reintroduced (presumably a TAP pass, no "zone stamps") in 2008, calculated at 30 times the express fare. (Local rides would be free to express passholders.) The EZ Pass is priced at a 20% premium over the Metro-only monthly pass. A new EZ Day Pass is proposed to replace the interagency transfer, priced at 20% over the Metro-only day pass. All passes, other than day passes, are rounded to the nearest dollar. The senior/disabled cash fare is rounded to the nearest nickel. ========================================== Other fare increase perspectives The following information is presented to foster public discussion and any positions listed do not necessarily represent those of Southern California Transit Advocates. The official staff report outlining the staff-recommended fare increase to be considered Member Hank Fung has produced a spreadsheet comparing fares of various transit agencies in the country, including proposed fare increases from other agencies as of May 1, 2007. In addition, he filed a California Public Records Act request for documents related to the fare increase and was turned down. His appeal was denied by County Counsel, and the request is now moot since a fare increase was approved. Member Dana Gabbard made his own statement on the fare increase proposal. The Metro San Gabriel Valley Service Sector Governance Council released a statement regarding the fare increase. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa introduced his fare proposal to the media and to other MTA board members. LAVoice commented regarding the mayor's involvement in the original proposal. MetroRiderLA posted several articles about the fare increase, including a guide the the May 24 public hearing, a report from the fare forums, and comments from when the hearing date was announced. In addition, "Wad", a poster on the blog, posted their fare proposal. The Los Angeles Times Bottleneck Blog discussed the fare increase. Noteworthy posts include discussion on the Mayor's proposal and discussion regarding alleged racial bias in the fare increase. A group of students has advocated a walkout in response to the student fare increase. The Natural Resources Defense Council filed letters warning of a lawsuit should a fare increase pass. In addition, the Bus Riders Union advocated reducing fares. The Transit Coalition had a discussion related to the proposed fare increase. |