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New Survey: 84% of Transit Agencies Facing Fare Hikes, Service Cuts
DC Streetsblog
Budget shortfalls exacerbated by the lingering recession have forced 84 percent of local transit agencies to hike fares, cut service, or begin considering one or both of those options since the beginning of 2009, according to a report released today by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA). APTA's bleak survey reflects data from 151 rail and bus systems throughout the nation, which together carry more than eight of every 10 U.S. transit riders. Sixty-nine percent of that group reported looming budget gaps for the coming fiscal year, with 11 agencies facing a deficit larger than 20 percent.
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Caltrain goes broke, will likely wipe out weekend, night, midday trains
San Jose Mercury News
Caltrain has gone broke and will likely need to wipe out half its service — including weekend, nighttime and midday trains — officials warned Thursday, bracing passengers for a major shake-up to the popular commuter line that links San Francisco to the South Bay. "This is not an April Fools' joke," Caltrain CEO Mike Scanlon told the agency's board of directors. "This is real. We're at a watershed moment where there's a possibility this railroad could go away." Scanlon said the service cuts, which would idle trains for much of the day, would need to be completed by June 2011, although the agency may begin slashing its schedule as soon as this fall.
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AC Transit service cuts go into effect
San Francisco Chronicle
AC Transit's service reductions take effect Sunday, with commuters and students feeling the full brunt of the cutbacks on Monday. And most riders will feel the pain. AC Transit is cutting service by about 8 percent, but the cuts will affect 108 of 113 routes. A total of 31 routes will be eliminated, others will run shorter hours or require longer waits, and some will be shortened or otherwise rerouted. The changes are expected to save the district about $9.5 million a year. AC Transit faces a shortfall of about $56 million by June 2011 - the result of a lack of state funding and the decline in sales and property tax revenue, said Clarence Johnson, an AC Transit spokesman. "We've gone through fare increases, salary freezes, hiring freezes, layoffs and 15 percent reductions in every department budget," he said. "We're left with this - streamlining service."
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Regional Transit cuts routes, preserves security
Sacramento Bee
Facing the worst financial hole in its 37-year history, the Sacramento Regional Transit board voted Monday to reduce bus and rail service 22 percent but backed away from any serious cuts in its security services. Twenty-eight of the agency's 91 weekday bus routes will be eliminated. A dozen other buses will run less frequently days and weekends. Some will be shut down on weekends. State officials also have siphoned transit funds to help balance the state budget, and state worker "Furlough Fridays” have depressed farebox revenues. RT's annual budget, which peaked in 2008 at more than $147 million, will drop to $117 million next year. A last-minute agreement between the governor and Democratic legislators headed by Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg of Sacramento freed money for transit agencies, including nearly $12 million for RT.
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Metrolink may raise fares, cut service
Orange County Register
More cuts to train service and a fare increase could be in store in Orange County as Metrolink looks for ways to close its budget gap. The commuter rail line is facing a projected shortfall of $17 million for the next fiscal year, said Metrolink spokeswoman Angela Starr.The five-county Metrolink board of directors will contemplate these proposed changes at a meeting April 2. A final vote is scheduled for April 23. Starr said the expectation is to impact as few riders as possible while saving the most money they can.
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Metrolink board considers cutting Inland trains, raising fares
The Press Enterprise
Southern California's commuter train system will need $17.3 million more from local agencies, or will have to cut trains and raise fares. Absent the money, unlikely to come from counties also facing their own budget struggles, officials with Metrolink are proposing eliminating 12 trains, a 6 percent increase in fares and other fare changes. For Inland commuters, the changes will mean losing two Orange County bound mid-day trains and two from San Bernardino to downtown Los Angeles, and higher prices.
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RTA reduces bus service again to save money
The Press-Enterprise
Bus service is again being reduced in western Riverside County, as transit officials grapple with a cloudy budget picture. Riverside Transit Agency's board of directors approved scaling back service on some routes, reducing the frequency of when buses run on some lines, and ending service on four holidays. Uncertainty about how much money Riverside Transit expects to receive from local and state funds has plagued officials for about a year. The changes take effect May 9 for most routes, and save more than $550,000, according to an agency analysis. "This is nothing we want to do, but we are left with no other option," said bus system CEO Larry Rubio. Millions more might need to be cut to get the system's budget in line with what it expects to receive from federal, state and local governments. As a result additional cuts could also be on the way in a few months, Rubio said.
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