Citing high diesel-fuel costs and weaker than expected sales-tax receipts, RTD officials proposed hiking cash bus and light-rail fares by 25 cents beginning Jan. 1, a year earlier than planned.
The increase, if approved by the Regional Transportation District board of directors, would take the local cash fare to $1.75 a ride, the express cash fare to $3 and the regional fare to $4.
RTD will hold public hearings on Monday’s proposed increases next month. The board will vote on the increase in September.
The agency had planned a fare increase for January 2009, but RTD General Manager Cal Marsella said the increase is needed earlier if the agency is to avoid making cuts in bus and rail service.
RTD already plans to cut much of its G southeast light-rail service next month because of empty trains, especially at off-peak times.
The proposed 2008 increases will affect all fares, including 10-ride ticket books, all categories of monthly passes and special-fare programs including the TeenPass, Eco Pass and College Pass.
“I wouldn’t like it, I think it’s too expensive already,” said RTD express bus rider Whitney George of the planned increase, as she boarded the 120X to Thornton late Monday afternoon at Market Street station.
George’s monthly express pass would jump to $108 from the current $99 if the increase goes through. “I’ll probably pay it anyway,” said George, who works for an investment banking firm downtown.
Marsella said RTD also needs more money because its cost for providing access-a-Ride service for disabled riders has continued to increase at a rapid rate.
The fare increase would raise about $7.3 million in extra revenue in 2008 and the hikes would likely result in a ridership decline of about 200,000 boardings, according to RTD’s analysis.
That number of lost boardings would represent about 0.3 percent of the total of 66.9 million bus and rail boardings in 2006, RTD said.
RTD board chairman Chris Martinez said he is concerned about the effect of a fare increase on riders who are dependent on mass transit. Agency officials said they will meet with community-service groups that provide transit tokens to needy riders to see if these programs can be strengthened.
RTD’s sales- and use-tax revenue for the first five months of this year totaled $163.9 million, up from the same period last year, but $3.3 million below an earlier agency forecast for this year.
Proceeds from RTD’s 1 percent sales tax are split, with 0.6 percent going for the agency’s ongoing operations and 0.4 percent funding its FasTracks expansion.
As Larry Floyd waited for his 5:50 p.m. BF express bus to Broomfield at Market Street station, he assessed the impact of the proposed fare hike on his commute. Floyd buys 10-ride ticket books, not a monthly pass, because he doesn’t take the bus every day to his job at Qwest downtown.
The express 10-ride book would go to $27 from the current $25. “I can handle that,” Floyd said.
Becky DeCook and Renee Guerrero were boarding the 5:51 p.m. AF express bus to Cold Spring. Their downtown employers pay the full cost of their Eco Passes.
“I don’t know how this will affect employers,” DeCook said of the planned increase. “It could mean they will stop funding the Eco Pass.”
Kerry Murphy was also waiting for the AF. He pays cash, so his fare would go to $3 from $2.75.
He said: “It’s still cheaper than gas.”
Staff writer Jeffrey Leib can be reached at 303-954-1645 or jleib@denverpost.com.
