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Omnitrans bus riders brace for more hikes
Contra Costa Times
Four months after being socked with a fare hike, beleaguered Omnitrans bus riders could be hit with more fare increases or service cuts beginning in July. [Governor Schwarzenegger's] latest plan would eliminate the sales tax on gasoline and diesel fuels and replace part of that revenue source with an increase in the excise tax on fuels. But none of that excise tax would go to transit.... "We're extremely concerned," Rall said. "These are the primary sources of revenue for public transportation in the state of California. How can you call yourself the green governor when you go to our funding source and steal our money?"...While other transit agencies in the state have struggled, Omnitrans has been able to largely maintain its service levels over the past three years. The agency restructured routes, reduced weekend service, cut office staffing, froze salaries and took other steps to survive earlier cuts by the state. In September, the agency increased bus fares for the first time in more than two years.
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L.A. County transit agency projects historic budget shortfall
Los Angeles Times
L.A. County transit officials are forecasting the largest operating deficit in their history, prompting them to consider cuts to bus and rail service as well as fare increases. The shortfall, caused by cuts in state funding as well as an 8 percent decline in ridership over the last year, could be more bad news for L.A. riders, who have long complained about crowded buses and limited services.
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Gov.’s newest transit raid receiving a frosty reception
LA Streetsblog
As Governor Schwarzenegger presses forward with his newest scheme to rob funds dedicated to transit, he's receiving a frosty response from legislators and opinion makers that could spell doom for this plan to balance the budget. It's more than just transit advocates that are calling b.s. on the Governor's plan. The NRDC Switchboard reports on a Senate Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review that was flooded with opponents to the Governor's scheme and found their complaints echoed by the legislators who would have to approve it. Long Beach Senator Alan Lowenthal is quoted as one of the leading voices against the plan: "It’s nice to go to a hearing in Sacramento every once in awhile and find yourself in a cloud of nearly universal agreement. I was able to experience that rare feeling earlier today when the Senate Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review held its hearing on Transportation and Resources Issues..." Senator Alan Lowenthal was “appalled” by the proposal’s impact on transit; Senator Mark Leno told of San Francisco’s continued transit funding problems and wondered how this proposal would help things; and Senator Joe Simitian wisely pointed out the likely ridership impacts of further cuts and fare hikes, particularly on those “discretionary” riders who will once again choose their cars, leading to more air pollution and road congestion.
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BART directors weigh options to avoid layoffs
San Francisco Chronicle
Closing the $25 million hole in the current BART budget without layoffs could require a general fare increase, a surcharge on trips through the Transbay tube, charging market rates for parking or eliminating direct trains from Richmond and Fremont to San Francisco outside of commute hours. Eliminating direct Richmond-San Francisco or Fremont-San Francisco trains and going to 20 minutes between trains outside of commute hours would save the district $2 million a year and reduce the number of operators, saving about $200,000 a year.
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MTC meeting tomorrow is Muni’s best chance for $17 million
SF Streetsblog
Muni riders have a chance at a reprieve from the one thousand hours per day of lost service that the MTA is proposing to cut in order to plug a $17 million deficit before the end of the fiscal year in June. The service cuts will lead to overcrowded buses on the major routes and the total elimination of service on the outer portions of some routes, while some transit riders will be forced to find alternate means of travel, especially at night.
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Transit: You Can’t Work if You Can’t Get There
The New Republic
President Obama’s speech in Lorain County, OH on Friday gives us a good excuse to examine more than just jobs in this Cleveland suburb. Obama alluded to one obstacle---and a key to his jobs agenda--that went overlooked in most media coverage: “You can't get to work or go buy groceries like you used to because of cuts in the county transit system.”...Public transportation, particularly in a recession, is a lifeline for the unemployed and under-employed.
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