Pasadena : Bus Pass Subsidy Approved

Overriding the recommendation of its Transportation Advisory Commission, the Board of Directors voted Tuesday to subsidize monthly bus passes for senior citizens and the handicapped. The board appropriated $72,000 for the subsidy on a 4-3 vote.

The city will buy passes from the Southern California Rapid Transit District for $10 and re-sell them for $7.

In a written report to the board, Nancy Leon, chairman of the Transportation Advisory Commission, said the subsidy would offer little help to individuals, be expensive for the city and aid a group that already benefits from a substantial discount, since the RTD sells its monthly $42 passes to senior citizens and the handicapped for $10.

But board member Kathryn Nack said the city subsidy is needed by people who sometimes must use part of their food budget to pay bus fare. Some directors said they wanted more time to study the issue, but William Paparian moved to appropriate funds for the subsidy, with support of Directors Rick Cole, Loretta Thompson-Glickman and Nack.

The city board adopted other transportation spending recommendations from the commission and its staff, including continuation of the dial-a-ride service for senior citizens and the handicapped at an annual cost of nearly $700,000 and the development of a computerized ride-sharing system at a cost of nearly $200,000 a year.

The transportation budget also includes $175,000 for studies of the Pasadena route of a light rail line to Los Angeles, and proposals for trolleys that would operate on rail or rubber tires in the downtown area.