Bus Fare to Rise a Nickel; Transfer Fee Imposed

It’s soon going to cost a nickel more for most Orange County commuters to ride the bus.

In an effort to boost revenue for a bus operation that recovers less than a fourth of its costs from passengers, Orange County Transit District board members voted 5 to 0 Monday to raise the current 80-cent fare to 85 cents on July 1, except in certain cases involving seniors and the disabled.

The increase was approved after a public hearing at OCTD headquarters in Garden Grove.

“The fare increase is needed to make sure that the district meets its minimum fare box recovery, which has been a problem at OCTD in the past,” said County Supervisor and OCTD Board Chairman Roger R. Stanton.

Fare box return--the percentage of OCTD expenses offset by passenger fares--is projected to rise slightly above the current 22.8% to about 24% as a result of the increase approved Monday. The rest of OCTD’s revenue comes from local, state and federal funds.

The last OCTD fare hike--also a nickel--took effect July 1, 1988.

As part of Monday’s action, the OCTD board imposed it’s first-ever transfer fee, also a nickel. A transfer fee is charged whenever a rider changes buses.

Stated Their Cases

Two elderly and 2 disabled people testified during the public hearing, contending that seniors and the handicapped already face economic hardships and should not have to pay more for public transportation. Their comments helped persuade OCTD board members to exempt the two groups from some increases, district officials said.

Seniors will not have to pay the nickel fare increase for fixed-route OCTD service, such as a scheduled run from South Coast Plaza to Disneyland.

Passengers on Dial-A-Ride, the district’s door-to-door van service arranged by appointment, will have to pay $1.70 compared to the current fare of $1.60. But the elderly and handicapped are also exempt from that increase. Although the van service was initiated to serve seniors and the disabled, the OCTD board opened it to all riders in hopes that it would get more commuters in the habit of using public transportation. However, the board now is considering again limiting it to seniors and the disabled.

The fare hikes are expected to increase district revenues by about $1.4 million annually.

The regular bus fare in Los Angeles is $1.10, according to a spokesman for the Southern California Rapid Transit District, which recovers only about 13% of its costs through fares. Seniors pay 55 cents. RTD does not provide Dial-A-Ride service.

In addition to OCTD, Orange County has two other public transit systems:

Vans operated by the Consolidated Transportation Service Agency charge $1 for first 10 miles and $1 for each additional 10 miles, for handicapped and the “frail elderly” anywhere in county. (Dial-A-Ride is restricted to trips within small zones).

Laguna Beach Municipal Transit operates three, fixed-route buses with fares at 50 cents. Seniors currently ride free, but they will soon be required to pay 25 cents, according to Laguna Beach City Manager Kenneth C. Frank.

Seniors and the disabled account for about 10% of OCTD’s ridership, which surpassed 35 million trips annually in 1987-88. The district’s bus and Dial-A-Ride van fleets total 582 vehicles.

Board members on Monday also agreed to ask the Orange County Transportation Commission--which coordinates all county transportation--to re-evaluate some of the rail service proposed in the commission’s 20-year transportation-improvement program. The board decided that the 20-year plan will not provide sufficient funding to expand rail service along the Los Angeles-San Diego corridor enough to significantly reduce automobile traffic.