MTA Considers Fare Changes

The price of one-way transit fares could drop by 10 cents, monthly passes could increase $10 and transfers could be eliminated under proposals being considered by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

The agency, seeking additional revenue to pay for mandated bus improvements, has been mulling an overhaul of the fare structure for its countywide bus and train system for months. On Monday, it released for the first time the specifics of two proposals being discussed by the MTA staff.

In both proposals, the daily cash fare for buses and trains would be reduced to $1.25 from $1.35, but the cost of popular weekly, semimonthly and monthly passes would increase. Monthly fares would increase to $52 from $42; semimonthly passes would go to $27 from $21; and weekly passes would rise to $14 from $11.

The MTA’s discount 90-cent tokens for a one-way trip would be eliminated in both proposals, along with one-trip transfers, which now cost 25 cents. Riders expecting to make transfers could buy a $3 daily pass allowing unlimited trips.

The biggest difference between the two proposals is that monthly passes would increase for seniors, students and disabled riders in one plan, and remain unchanged in the other.

The MTA said it is being forced to reconsider its fare policy to pay for bus improvements required by federal mandate. The mandate, springing from a lawsuit that charged the MTA with neglecting poor and minority riders, has led the agency to purchase hundreds of new buses since 1996. The agency plans to buy at least 200 more. The fare changes would raise about $50 million a year, the MTA said. Each bus costs the agency about $352,000 a year to operate.

The MTA will hold public board meeting on the proposal at 1 p.m. Wednesday at its downtown headquarters.