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Bus riders protest transit fare hikes
Los Angeles Times
Five members of the Bus Riders Union began fasting Thursday morning in downtown Los Angeles to protest transit fare hikes that will go into effect on July 1 unless the Metropolitan Transportation Authority rescinds the increases. MTA officials plan to raise fares for the first time in two years to help offset a $204-million gap in the agency's operating budget for buses and rail systems.
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Supervisors want Muni service restored
San Francisco Examiner
Members of the Board of Supervisors say they will vote to reject the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency’s budget if it does not figure out how to reduce by half the 10 percent cuts dealt to Muni service. On Thursday, the Board of Supervisors Budget and Finance Committee continued until June 2 a motion to reject the agency’s $750 million budget. A strong message was sent. "If at the end of the day in a short period of time things don’t move forward, I am prepared to vote to reject this budget," board President David Chiu said. The agency imposed the 10 percent service cut May 8 to help close a budget deficit for the fiscal year that begins July 1. The move saves the agency $28.8 million.
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Foothill bus fees to climb
Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
The Foothill Transit governing board Wednesday voted unanimously to close a $3.2 million deficit by raising fees, introducing new routes and canceling others. On June 27, fares will increase from $1 to $1.25 for daily rides and rise 10 percent for monthly passes. "Like most public transportation agencies in the state, we do rely on a variety of funding sources to operate our programs and services," Foothill Transit Executive Director Doran Barnes said. "As the economy has struggled, those funding sources have been reduced."
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Yuba-Sutter Transit fee increases considered
Marysville Appeal Democrat
Fewer riders and less revenue for Yuba-Sutter Transit buses to and from Sacramento might mean those still commuting to the capital city will pay more beginning in July. For regular riders like Jennifer Alvarado of Olivehurst, the fare increases would mean one less lunch eaten out per month, but she'd still take the bus. "You don't pay for parking, you don't pay for maintenance," said Alvarado, 26, who's commuted for about two years and now works in the governor's office. Transit manager Keith Martin said such fare increases are necessary because ridership for the capital city routes has been down since it peaked in late summer 2008. Those lines now average about 10,000 riders a month. The main culprits are the furloughs of state workers and the economic downturn, Martin said.
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Ventura town hall event learns of Gold Coast bus changes
Ventura County Star
Gold Coast transit officials unveiled proposed route changes to a group of concerned bus riders at a town hall meeting Wednesday at the Bell Arts Center in Ventura. Gold Coast’s current $16.5 million operating budget largely comes from a mix of sales tax money that is distributed by the state to local governments and federal transit funds, both of which are declining. Fares provide the smallest revenue portion but are required by law to be at least 20 percent of the total budget. The daily fare just increased to $1.35 in January and is set to increase to $1.50 in July 2011. Overall, bus ridership is up. Gold Coast served some 272,000 riders in February, a 5.5 percent increase from the same month a year earlier.
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