County Seeks Bus Fare Hike in High Desert

The basic bus fare in the Antelope Valley, which has not changed since 1982, would increase from 50 cents to 75 cents under a plan by Los Angeles county officials to improve service.

The county also is proposing to increase the fare for students, senior citizens and the handicapped, from 20 cents to 35 cents, county officials said. If approved by the county Board of Supervisors, the changes could take effect later this year.

County officials said the increases--50% in the basic fare and 75% in the discount fare--will help fund expanded bus service to meet demands in the fast-growing region. In the past four years, bus ridership in the Antelope Valley has almost doubled, to an average of nearly 48,000 rides a month, county officials said.

“What we’re doing is revamping the whole system, and it’s going to cost a heck of a lot of money,” said Greg Kelley, transit manager for the county Department of Public Works. “Most of it will be borne by the county, but a share will be borne by the patrons.”

The county wants the private Antelope Valley Bus Co., which it pays to serve the area, to add several buses to its fleet of 14. Bus service would be expanded, routes revised, and buses between Lancaster and Palmdale would leave every 30 minutes instead of each hour, Kelley said.

The county has a $1.3-million contract with the company to serve the Antelope Valley from July, 1989, through June, 1990, but fare box revenue is expected to cover only $158,000, or about 12% of the cost of service, Kelley said. County funds and federal grants fund the remainder.

Kelley said he did not have an estimated cost for the proposed expanded service. More details on the plan and its cost will be available, he said, at public hearings scheduled for 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. on April 2, at the Antelope Valley Senior Center at 777 W. Jackman St. in Lancaster.

The most recent increase in the basic cash fare came in 1982, when the fare was raised from 35 to 50 cents. The Southern California Rapid Transit District does not serve the region. But by comparison, its basic cash fare is $1.10 a ride.

Kelley said the county’s proposal does not envision any fare changes for the recently begun commuter bus service connecting the Antelope Valley with downtown Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley. That service is operating on a one-year trial basis, through the end of the year.