Better Link for Bus, Trolley Systems : Transit Fares, Service Being Increased

A fare raise for county express bus service and monthly trolley passes will bring in $300,000 that the Metropolitan Transit Development Board will use to improve coordination between San Diego’s bus and trolley systems, transit board officials said.

A simultaneous expansion in bus service, scheduled for July 1, will increase the frequency of bus lines, open new routes and extend existing routes, said Tom Larwin, general manager of the board.

“The improvements are related to opening the trolley to El Cajon. We’re adding bus service to feed into the trolley systems. The bus is an integral part of getting people on and off the trolley,” Larwin said. Monthly trolley fares will also be raised from $40 to $45.

“The primary impact will be to users of Route 20 to the I-15 corridor from Centre City, north. Routes 27 and 40 will also have cash-fare and pass-price increases. Basically, the longer you ride, the more you pay,” Larwin said.

In July, Routes 27A, 40, 20 and 20A will increase from $40 to $50 per pass; Routes 20B and 20C will increase from $40 to $55 per pass. The most expensive county bus lines will be the 800 and the 810, which travel to and from Escondido and Oceanside. Monthly passes for those routes will increase from $62 to $65.

Cash fares will increase 25 cents per zone on county bus express trips that now cost $1.25 to $2.25. Fares for the San Diego Transit system will remain the same until they are evaluated next year, Larwin said.

Transfers will be free or require a maximum upgrade fee of $1.75, depending on the fare of the bus to which the customer transfers, said Judy Leitner, public communications manager for the MTDB.

Some San Diegans didn’t seem perturbed Friday about the increase. “They raise them once in a while; as long as there’s better service, I don’t mind,” said Mona Gomez, who rides the 20 line.

Gerald Thomas, who occasionally rides the 20 and 80 express lines, said he appreciates the still reasonably low fare. “I don’t see it bothering me. I don’t mind paying (the price) on a bus pass. I’d pay that much or more on gas easily in a month,” he said.

Because some customers may be upset about the increase, Larwin agreed that the transit system may experience a decline in riders for a short time.

“Usually, when you have a fare increase, there is a decrease of some magnitude” in customers, he said. But customers “are more sensitive to service, and we’ve usually gotten ridership loss back within a year of the increase.”