BART Board To Examine Fare Hikes Amid Budget Gap
OAKLAND (CBS SF) – On Thursday, the BART Board of Directors will begin addressing a multimillion-dollar budget shortage.
During its morning meeting, the board is set to discuss authorizing a fare-increase study, as the agency anticipates a shortfall of about $30 million for the coming fiscal year.
The study will look into the effects of possibly increasing the minimum fare from $1.95 to $2.25, reducing discounts for youths, seniors, and disabled people, or charging more for riders who use paper tickets instead of Clipper cards.
While overall ridership is up, BART officials say that the system's numbers are slumping because fewer people are riding during the weekend and off-peak hours, or using BART for shorter rides.
The possible increase is separate from a 2.7 percent fare hike scheduled for January 2018, which is about a 10 to 15 cent increase on a $5 ticket.
