Santa Clarita / Antelope Valley : Bus Ridership Up Despite Fare Hikes : Transportation: Santa Clarita system continues to show rapid growth. Increased prices expected to bring in an additional $39,000 a year.

More residents are taking local buses this summer over last year, despite significant fare increases that took effect July 1.

Ridership was 59,602 for July, 29.4% higher than the 46,072 ridership recorded in July, 1992. The figures are down from June’s total of 79,591, but local transportation officials say the summer school break is responsible for the decline.

The largest fare hikes fell on young riders, with the cost of one-way trips rising from 20 cents to 50 cents and monthly passes up from $4 to $10. Senior citizen and handicapped riders also saw significant increases, with monthly passes rising from $4 to $10 and the one-way cost of the city’s door-to-door van service going from 50 cents to 75 cents.

Fares for adult riders rose from 50 cents to 75 cents for one-way trips and from $18 to $20 for a monthly pass.

Santa Clarita has been experiencing phenomenal growth in its local bus service this year, with ridership up to 3,600 on an average school day, 2,600 on weekday holidays and 1,400 on Saturdays. Ridership more than doubled in the first quarter of 1993 over the same time in 1992 and fare hikes are believed to have done little to discourage residents from taking the bus.

“Our school holiday ridership is approximating what we were carrying on school days last year. I would have expected if we hadn’t raised the fares we would have had slightly higher numbers in July, but I don’t know what those higher numbers would be,” said Ron Kilcoyne, city transportation coordinator.

The fare increases are projected to generate an additional $39,000 per year for the city and may be used to fund service improvements such as increasing the number of bus routes for both local students and the separate commuter service to downtown Los Angeles.

Recent school busing fees have caused more youths to use city transit during the school year than in the past.

The Newhall School District and William S. Hart Union High School District began charging $200 a year for students to ride school buses last fall. The Sulphur Springs Union School District is considering a $100 annual fee to cut a $300,000 transportation services deficit in half.