By Ryan Oliver
In a public hearing Tuesday, May 6, Utah Transit Authority officials defended an increase in fare for adult cash customers to help cover rising fuel costs and reductions in federal funds for mass transit.
The fare increase, to take effect Sunday, June 1, will not affect disabled passengers, senior citizens or those holding monthly passes.
UTA is proposing a 25 cent increase in one-way fares – from $1.25 to $1.50 for adults – which UTA financial analyst Jan Maynard said would raise revenues by $1 million per year.
Maynard said despite the efforts of UTA to cut costs and improve efficiency, an increase in fares is necessary to make up for the decrease in funding from state and federal governments.
These funds come from tax revenues that have decreased since the post-Sept.11 economic downturn.
“We have tightened our belts and reduced spending, but it is still not enough,” she said. “This will help close the gap between revenue and expenses until there is an improvement in the economy,” she said.
Residents spoke out more in favor of the increase during Tuesday”s meeting than in 2001 when a similar hearing took place.
In that meeting, several citizens expressed outrage at the cost increases, but this year there was a very small turnout.
The public”s questions raised were not complaints about the increase, but focused more on whether some routes would be cancelled.
Provo resident Ron Roberts, who is almost completely blind, is one resident who is more concerned about keeping current route schedules than with any fare increase.
“I am completely dependent on the bus system,” Roberts said. “It”s the only way I have to get places because I can”t drive a car and I hope that the routes I take don”t get scaled back.”
Maynard said UTA would like to maintain its current level of service and raise rates instead of cutting the number and frequency of bus routes.
“Revenues are falling, expenses are high, and we are proactively trying to direct the situation by cutting costs and increasing efficiency,” she said. “This is a small increase in the grand scope of things, and we”re believing that if we do this we can avoid cutbacks in service at this time.”
Carl, a UTA bus driver who refused to give his last name in keeping with company policy, said he thinks riders are still getting a bargain, despite the proposed increases.
“When you consider fuel, tires, oil changes, insurance and depreciation on your car, you realize there”s no way somebody could get all the way to Salt Lake for a couple of bucks,” he said. “The only drawback is time. Everything else is still very economical.”
Open hearings on the fare increases will be held in each county UTA services, and the transit authority will be fielding phone calls and e-mail from residents until Monday, May 26, the deadline for public comment.
