Fare Wars : How Proposed Bus Hikes Would Work

Last Thursday, just hours after higher bus fares went into effect, a federal judge temporarily blocked the fare hike by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, saying that the 25-cent increase could unfairly burden poor and minority residents.

The decision stunned the MTA, which had counted on the first fare hike in six years to help bridge an operating deficit of $126 million. The agency has appealed for a stay of U.S. District Judge Terry J. Hatter Jr.’s temporary restraining order, contending that it is losing tens of thousands of dollars each day.

Hatter has set a hearing for Monday to decide whether the MTA has effectively penalized its mostly low-income bus riders by pursuing costly rail projects that benefit mostly affluent white customers, as a coalition of grass-roots organizations has alleged. *

Changes If the MTA is allowed to implement its new fare structure, the following changes would take place: The basic fare would rise from $1.10 to $1.35. *Transfers would stay the same after 25 cents. *Tokens would stay the same at 90 cents apiece. *Regular monthly passes would be eliminated. *Monthly passes for senior citizens and the disabled, including blind passengers, who previously traveled for free, would increase to $12 from $10. *Monthly passes for college and vocational school students would increase to $30 from $25. *Monthly passes for schoolchildren would increase to $20 from $18, but would be good for for weekend travel. *Zone surcharges of 50 cents would apply on express bus lines and the Blue Line trolley. *

The System Riders: 1.2 million daily, about half of whom held passes of some kind as of Aug. 31. *Fleet: 1,900 buses. *Bus drivers: 4,100 full-and part-time.

Impact of Far Hike MTA officials predict a 5% drop in ridership, or about 60,000 passengers daily, if the fare hike is allowed to go forward. *

Token Information Bus tokens cost 90 cents and can be purchased in bags of 10 for $9. There are 460 token outlets in the region. For information on outlet locations, call (213) 972-6235. The information line is open from 8 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. Monday through Friday. *

Who Rides the Bus? *

Household Income Under $15,000: 61.5% $15,000-$30,000: 23.2% $31,000-$50,000: 10.4% Over $50,000: 4.9% *

Autos in Household No cars: 51% 1 car: 30.7% 2 cars: 13.1% 3 or more: 5.2% *

Ethnicity Latino: 46.7% Black: 22.7% White: 19.1% Asian: 8.5% Other*: 3% * Includes Native American *

Age Under 18: 13.9% 19-29: 27.1% 30-39: 23.7% 40-49: 15.5% 50 and over: 19.7% Source: Metropolitan Transportation Authority; Researched by HENRY CHU / Los Angeles Times