Council discusses Beeline rate-hike

The City Council this week began discussion of a proposed rate increase and service cuts on the city’s Beeline Service, but did not make any decisions on the proposal.

City transportation commissioners voted 4 to 1 this month to recommend that the City Council raise the regular Beeline one-way fare to 75 cents, while at the same time slashing two routes with low ridership. The fare would be raised to $1 in July 2012.

Under the same recommendation, the one-way fare for the Metrolink express bus from the Glendale Amtrak/Metrolink station to downtown Glendale would be raised to $2.

In a special meeting Tuesday afternoon, City Council members began discussing the proposal, but had to recess the meeting to a later date due to time constraints.

In initial reactions to the proposal, several council members expressed concern about cutting Beeline Route 12, which follows the San Fernando corridor from the Glendale Amtrak/Metrolink station to the Burbank Metrolink station.

City officials say the fare increases and service cuts are needed to help balance the city’s transit fund, which relies almost entirely on tax revenues set aside for transit operations. Those revenues have remained stagnant as operational costs continue to rise.

The current 25-cent fare has been the same for more than a decade.