MTA Plan to Increase Bus Fares Draws Fire : Transit: Speakers berate officials for seeking to raise costs and cut services. Agency is searching for ways to meet a projected $126-million deficit.

Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials asked members of the public Saturday if they would like their bus fares hiked and their services cut.

Their answer: No, thank you.

Except no one said thank you.

A raucous standing-room-only crowd of bus riders and their advocates jammed the county Board of Supervisors hearing room as speaker after speaker berated MTA officials for proposals to increase bus fares and cut service to meet a projected $126-million deficit in the next fiscal year.

The speakers were seldom shy or subtle in lodging their protests.

“Increased fares could result in violence in the streets,” warned one speaker, Patricia Price.

The MTA is expected to make decisions before July 1 on a raft of proposals that could affect service for all bus riders, including those who get special rates, such as the elderly, the disabled and students.

MTA officials tried to make the bitter pills more palatable by pointing out that the current $1.10 bus fare was set six years ago and has not been increased despite inflation.

“No other major transit operation in the country can say that,” said Judith A. Wilson, executive officer for planning and programming.

When the cost of living increases, Wilson said, “So too do the costs of transportation go up.”

“Pay checks didn’t go up,” shouted a member of the audience.

Among the MTA’s many proposals under consideration are increasing fares across the board, hiking fares only during peak travel times, charging the elderly and disabled passengers a 25-cent co-payment during peak travel times, limiting student passes to 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., canceling holiday, weekend and late-night bus service and canceling or reducing service on many bus lines.

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Politicians opposed to the MTA proposals were followed to the speakers podium by senior citizens, the disabled, blue-collar workers, minimum-wage earners and at least one teacher and a high school student, all of whom argued that fare increases and service cuts would seriously hurt them.

MTA Chairman Richard Alatorre was shouted down and jeered as he tried to prevent the crowd from applauding orations and attempted to limit each speaker to three minutes.

At one point, Alatorre tried to placate the audience by expressing sympathy with the bus riders.

“In fairness,” he said, “I think we need to keep in mind that our transit system must be available to those who need it. . . .”

“Time!” shouted members of the audience. “Your time is up.”

Several speakers, including Councilwoman Jackie Goldberg, accused the MTA of disproportionately subsidizing rail systems while shortchanging bus riders.

MTA figures indicate that fares provide 43% of the overall cost of operating its bus system, with the remainder coming from government subsidies.

But Goldberg insisted that the MTA gives the Blue Line light-rail system seven times the subsidy given to some bus lines.

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Goldberg pointed out to MTA board members that the City Council passed a resolution Friday that not only opposes bus fare increases or service cuts, but urges that current fares be cut to 50 cents.

Linda Baugh, a teacher at Manual Arts High School, warned the board that if it increases bus fares for students, “You will increase the already devastating dropout rate at Manual Arts.”

David Soto, a student at Manual Arts and the son of a single mother who is struggling to make ends meet, told the MTA that he would not be able to afford to ride the bus to school if the fare is raised.

Several advocates for the blind and disabled warned the MTA that cuts in service could leave such bus riders prisoners in their homes.

“I feel that it would be quite a hardship for . . . all those who ride the bus if the services are cut,” said Albert Contreras, who is blind and a member of the California Council of the Blind.

Avice Wiseman, an elderly woman who represents several senior citizen organizations, said: “Why are you discriminating against the seniors who have paid their dues?”

She added: “Don’t sock it to the seniors. They can least afford it.”