OCTA to Start New Bus Fares, End Transfers

By MEGAN GARVEY

July 10, 1999 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

Orange County bus drivers aren’t the least bit saddened by the demise of the free transfer, which will be retired Sunday after nearly 27 years of service in the county’s transit system.

“Thank God,” said bus driver Roger Rothstein, a nine-year veteran, who has been spit on and yelled at during disagreements over the slips of paper. “We’ve been waiting for years for this to happen.”

Transfers, drivers say, have been their single biggest source of problems. Arguments, accusations and a good percentage of calls to transit police have followed the wafer-thin transfer since it made its debut along with the bus system on Aug. 1, 1972.

“It’s been a constant thorn in our side,” said Jodi Sorrell, marketing program administrator for the Orange County Transportation Authority. “The problem with the transfer was that so many rules were connected with it--it had to be used within two hours, you couldn’t make a second trip in the same direction with it, and so on.”

No more. The new day pass--which can be bought on the buses--should clear up the confusion and generate $1.5 million more in revenue each year for one of the fastest-growing bus systems in the country. The pass--a different color each month--allows unlimited rides on the day it is purchased.

Until Jan. 16, the pass will cost $2--a concession to get riders accustomed to the first major change in riding Orange County buses in eight years. In January, the price will go to $2.50--a fare hike for the nearly 40% of county bus riders who take more than one route to reach their destination.

The fare to board the bus remains $1. Under the old system, a rider could pay $1 and then use the transfer to change buses.

For some regular bus riders, the impending rise in fares means worries.

“I’ve taken the bus since I was 12, and I’ve always used transfers. I can get where I need to go cheap,” said Ulysses Marin, 20. “For some people [the day pass] might be good, but I don’t think it’ll be good for me.”

But Rothstein and other drivers say the new system is a relief.

“Once I can throw these away, I can just concentrate on the road and driving and keeping my passengers safe,” Rothstein said, pointing to the transfers now mounted near the fare box.

To head off confusion, about 75 transit employees will be out at bus depots and transfer points this weekend, reminding passengers that transfers are no more.

“We don’t want situations where people head to work on Monday, put their dollar in the fare box and then get angry when the coach driver doesn’t have a transfer for them,” Sorrell said.

New fares also affect seniors and the disabled, who had initially faced a potentially devastating fare hike. Instead, Measure M funds, from the half-cent sales tax passed by county voters in 1990, have been used to lower some rates for seniors and the disabled.

Though off-peak fares have been eliminated, seniors and the disabled starting Sunday will have the cost of their monthly passes cut nearly in half--down to $10. They also will pay only a fraction of full fares--25 cents per ride or 50 cents per unlimited day pass.

The new fares will help fund added service hours on the 884-mile system. In June, weekend service was expanded on 17 routes, and in September night service will be increased on 21 routes, officials said.

No Free Bus Transfers

Sunday marks the end of free transfers on Orange County buses. Riders who need to take more than one bus to reach their destination may purchase the new $2 Day Pass, which allows unlimited use of all local routes. In January, the price of the day pass with go up to $2.50.

Cash fare

Old: $1

New: $1 per boarding

Senior/disabled fare

Old: 45 peak*/15 off peak

New: 25 per boarding

Transfers

Old: Free

New: Eliminated

Day pass

Old: None

New: $2**/$2.50