Simi Valley Bus Riders May Face Fare Increase

Simi Valley bus riders soon may be paying higher fares to ride fewer buses.

Even though Simi Valley Transit is carrying more riders than ever in its 22-year history, fare revenue has dropped as much as 5% on some routes, while costs have jumped nearly 6%. The increased cost of providing service has prompted city staff members to recommend fare hikes and service cutbacks.

“We’ve got to stop and ask ourselves how much we want to subsidize the buses,” Councilwoman Judy Mikels said. “Raising fares may be the only alternative.”

The cost to run Simi Valley’s buses at their current level of service for another fiscal year is estimated at $1.6 million, $83,000 more than the cost for this year.

Residents took nearly 400,000 trips on the city’s four bus lines in fiscal 1993-94, an increase of 22,000 riders over the previous year. Regular fares are 75 cents, while the rate for senior citizens is 25 cents.

But fare discounts and rising maintenance costs have increased the cost of providing service on Simi Valley Transit, the second-largest bus service in Ventura County.

To earn its general fund subsidy, the bus system’s fares must account for 20% of the cost of the service, according to a formula developed by the city.

At a special budget meeting Wednesday, Diane Jones, environmental services director, told the City Council that fares this fiscal year have covered only 18.5% of the cost of bus service.

If the city maintains the current level of service without increasing fares next fiscal year, the fare box revenue will cover less than 17% of the cost of service, Jones said.

The council agreed to hold a public hearing on the matter in mid-August. A date as not yet been set.

“I think we’re going the have to take a really close look at some of the routes and figure out if there’s anything we can do without,” Mayor Greg Stratton said. “And we may have to bite the bullet and go to a higher rate.”

In October, the council rejected a plan to hike fares for the first time in five years, after residents protested that they could not afford to pay more to ride the bus.

Instead, the council lowered fares on mid-day buses, hoping to lure enough new riders to offset the decrease in fares. Between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., regular fares are 50 cents and the fare for seniors is 20 cents.

Mid-day ridership increased after the council’s action, but not enough to make up for the lost fares and higher maintenance costs.

Maintenance fees are spent mostly on repairing the city’s aging fleet of buses, some of which are 10 years old, Jones said.

The city is delaying the purchase of new buses until staff members complete a study of alternative fuel models to comply with federal air regulations and help cut down on smog in the city, Jones said.

To reduce the cost of bus service, staff members are recommending that the city drop the reduced fares and cut early morning and Saturday service.

Ten-year-old Matthew Ayers considered the effects of a rate increase or a service cut as he waited at the bus stop Thursday afternoon.

“My parents buy me a bus pass, so I’m not too worried about a fare increase,” Matthew said. “But I take the bus to school every day, so I wouldn’t want to see any service cut.”