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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.

SO.CA.TA statement on the proposed fare increase process

Statement sent to Metro Board Chair Gloria Molina prior to public hearings on the 2007 fare increase.


We are disappointed that the upcoming Metro fare restructuring public hearing is scheduled for a weekday, seemingly for the convenience of Board while a decidedly inconvenient day and time for many transit users to be able to attend.

If a block of time is to be allocated to the Bus Riders Union we request an identical amount of time to present our organization’s position, as has been done at previous such hearings.

We further request that:

Metro meet all Title VI and Circular 4702.1A requirements in advertising the hearing location and identifying environmental justice impacts of the fare increase. This should take into account recent comments by FTA (to VTA and SCAG) regarding the need for extensive public input opportunities.

Metro make all internal documents related to the fare increase, including peers selected, amounts each increase will generate, underlying assumptions, etc. available on the Internet for the full thirty days of the comment period. This includes any Board Box documents and background on fare increases.

Metro should produce rider cards in English and Spanish advertising the hearing date(s) and means of comment and place them on buses and trains during the entire 30 day public comment period. Notices should also be broadcast on the transit TV network.

In addition analysis should be made available how various proposals and trends interact with the budget deficit projected. These include:

Recent proposals for changes to the Formula Allocation Procedure;

The rather encouraging FY07 second quarter Financial Performance Report
(agenda item #11, March 14 Metro Board Finance and Budget Committee Meeting);

The proposal in the updated financial forecast and baseline analysis for the 2007 Long Range Transportation Plan Update that the fare recovery ratio increase to 38% by 2010 (agenda item #10, February 14 Metro Board Planning and Programming Committee Meeting);

The impact of state and federal budget issues (spillover, the status of the federal transportation trust funds); and

What Metro anticipates as the likely combination of actions (fare adjustments and service cuts) necessary to fix the structural deficit.