Metro Fare Hike Passes

The Metro board on Thursday voted to raise bus and train fares by an average 72 percent over the next four years - a move decried by critics as a blow to poor and ethnic communities that depend on public transportation the most, REPORTS the Daily News.

The plan gradually increases fares every two years beginning July 1, when day passes rise to $5 from $3, weekly passes jump to $17 from $14 and monthly passes spike to $62 from $52.

One-way fare hikes won't come until July 1, 2009, when they increase from the current $1.25 to $1.50.

"No one wanted to see a fare increase, and it's probably true that we'll probably lose some riders," said county Supervisor Gloria Molina, who co-authored the plan with Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky. "But I think in the long run, we owe to this community a stable organization."

The fare hikes are designed to level the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's stubborn structural deficit in up to eight years. Metro faces a $1.8 billion deficit over the next 10 years.

But the Bus Riders Union, representing poor and minority passengers, called the hikes "racist" and threatened lawsuits to revoke the increases.

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