Council Votes to Raise Bus Fares
General fare: $1.25 effective Feb. 10
January 20, 2010
7:37 PM BY JENNA CHANDLER THE PORTERVILLE RECORDER
Public transit riders will need to drop an extra quarter into bus fare boxes starting Feb. 10.
The 25 percent hike in the fare for those aged 5 and older was approved 4-1 by the Porterville City Council Tuesday night in response to anticipated drops in Sacramento subsidies and higher operating costs.
Route intervals will be lengthened to 40 minutes from 30 minutes and three of the routes will be altered to address timing issues.
Councilman Pedro “Pete” Martinez voted against the changes, saying more partnerships needed to be created with local businesses to better market public transit.
“Fee increases always leave a bad taste. It’s not as easy on this side,” Councilman Felipe Martinez said referring to the City Council.
To bolster farebox revenues, the general fee for fixed routes will be $1.25, and the dial-a-ride senior/ADA/Medicare card holder fare will be raised from $1.50 to $2. Only Clovis and Visalia charge general fares that match Porterville’s new fare of $1.25, with Fresno, Merced, and Tulare charging $1.
In 2009-2010, the increases are expected to supplement revenues by $54,000. In 2010-2011, that figure will more than double to $134,000.
With increased ridership, additional bus stop locations, and high wheelchair usage, on-time performance has become an issue on five of the eight routes, according to transit staff.
Porterville resident Ellen Nichols was the only person to testify during the council’s public hearing on the matter. She suggested that the route intervals not be changed because the current 30 minute schedule is easy for riders.
To help operate the public transit system, the city receives approximately $1 million in state funding annually from the California Transportation Development Act (TDA), which distributes a portion of one quarter of the general sale tax collected state wide to local jurisdictions, in addition to revenues from special taxes on gasoline and fuel.
To qualify for such funding, the city must maintain a ratio of fare revenues to operating costs of at least equal to 20 percent.
“While the Porterville transit system has experienced an unprecedented increase in fixed route ridership over the last few years, the associated increase in fare revenue has not been strong enough to keep pace with rising operation costs associated with fuel and labor rates,” a report from an independent consult states.
TPG Consulting Incorporated analyzed the city’s fare structure and determined that based on ridership projections the current service will barely meet the 20 percent TDA requirement.
The issues are complicated by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s fiscal year 2010-2011 budget proposal unveiled Jan. 8, which could change the two taxes California drivers pay on gasoline.
The governor proposes that the state eliminate the 6 percent (equal to about 16 cents per gallon) gas sales tax, the revenues of which are designated for public transit systems, and also used to calculate school funding under the Proposition 84 formula. Then, increase by 10.8 cents the 10 cents excise tax paid per gallon, the funds of which are not dedicated to any specific pool.
The shift in revenues is expected to take hundreds of millions away from transit systems, and redirect it into the general fund — the state’s main checking account that pays for such services as public safety.
City Manager John Lollis said the proposal would redirect funds to capital projects, such as the purchase of busses, and leave the city holding the bag on the transit system’s operational costs.
“We are left with two choices: raise fares or tap into the general fund,” he said.
Claudia Elliott contributed to this report.
