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Rural
bus fares may be $10 one way
By Christy Scott
The Alpine Sun
The Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) board will vote next month on the future of rural bus service in Alpine and the Back Country. Officials are looking to eliminate a $1 million drain on the MTS budget by cutting much of the rural bus service and raising one-way fares on remaining routes to as much as $10.
The board has been looking to cut back rural services for several months, holding public input meetings in four effected rural communities, including Campo. According to MTS officials, rural routes have been operating at a high subsidy, despite growing numbers of ridership in rural areas.
“Somebody has to pay for this,” MTS board chairman Leon Williams said. “It doesn't look good to operate at this subsidy level. We’re over budget and underused.
After the community meetings, MTS officials created a plan to be considered by the board for implementation. The plan includes several elements:
Combine the Ramona to El Cajon buses, route 867, and two routes between Borrego Springs and Ramona, 891 and 892, into a single route, with one round trip on Friday and Saturday. One-way cash fares would be $10.
Reduce the Jacumba to El Cajon bus, route 888, service to Mondays and Fridays only, eliminating Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday service. Fare would be $10.
Trim the Campo-Tecate-El Cajon route, currently offered daily, to three round trips on weekdays only. Fares would be $4.
MTS’ subsidy would be trimmed to $472,000 under this plan.
The proposed higher fares are aimed at recovering at least 15 percent of the cost of operation through the fare-box. The agency currently falls short of a requirement for at least a 10 percent fare-box recovery to qualify for the operating subsidy it receives from state Transportation Development Act funds.
According to MTS, of the $1.2 million yearly spent on contracts for rural bus service, it drew only $102,000 in fares in 2004/05.
This falls short of the 10 percent needed by only $18,000, an amount which Jerry Barber, member of the Rural Mountain Bus Board, said could easily be made up by reorganizing MTS schedules.
“MTS doesn’t know how to build a schedule that actually works,” Barber said. He believes that specific bus schedules could be tweaked to best serve the residents and run fewer buses. “There are some times when the buses run empty.”
According to MTS board member Toni Atkins, who is also the San Diego city council member for district three, the $18,000 shortfall, is such a small amount, that the board needs to look for ways to make it up.
“It is such a small amount of money that is causing this rural transit overhaul,” Atkins said. “There may be other ways for us to make up this shortfall, other than these cuts.”
Atkins said that the board will hear from the public about options and will continue to discuss the cut
among themselves.
Rural bus service currently consists of six routes. Route 867 goes from Ramona to El Cajon six days a week. Route 888 goes from Alpine to Campo, via Old Highway 80, six days a week. Route 889 goes from El Cajon to Alpine, via Harbison Canyon, seven days a week. Route 891 travels to Borrego, Julian and Ramona one day a week. Route 892 goes to Borrego, Santa Ysabel and Ramona one day a week. Route 894 travels from Campo to El Cajon, via Tecate, seven days a week.
Already this year, rural transit service has seen cuts to the weekend 889 bus in July, and most recently in September, the discontinuation of routes 891A (Borrego, Julian, Cuyamaca and Ramona one day a week), 892A (Borrego, Oak Grove, Santa Ysabel and Ramona one day per week) and 893 (Borrego, Ocotillo, Shelter Valley and Ramona one day per week).
Participants at the Campo community input meeting held in August, already disheartened by unreliable and inconvenient service in the area, are concerned that they will be left with no service at all.
“They’re going to eventually shut down the rural bus service,” Barber said. “They’re trying their darnedest to do that.”
Many meeting participants argued that the proposal would hurt Back Country residents who can't drive and makes the rides unaffordable for some. Many elderly residents, who frequently use the buses to get to medical appointments, can't afford $20 round trips to get to a doctor.
The timing of many buses also makes it hard for rural residents to get to work or other appointments at reasonable times and to get back home in the evening.
The MTS board and the Transportation Committee of the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) will hold a public hearing at its upcoming meeting on Oct. 21 to receive public comments on the proposed fare adjustment for rural bus services
SANDAG is responsible for approving fare changes by MTS and will be considering whether to approve this change following a public hearing.
The public hearing will be held at 9 a.m., Oct. 21, in the SANDAG Board Room on the seventh floor at 401 B Street, San Diego.
All those interested in voicing concerns about the proposal are invited to attend. Residents may also respond in writing via mail or e-mail to dle@sandag.org or SANDAG, Daniel Levy, 401 B Street, Suite 800, San Diego, CA 92101.
The deadline for written, e-mail, and phone comments from the public will be at the close of the public hearing on Oct. 21. Members of the public may leave recorded messages regarding this proposed fare change at 699-1947.
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