Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, June 28, 1994                   TAG: 9406300063
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: A-1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: By DAN CASEY STAFF WRITER NOTE: below
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS FOR ROANOKE BUS RIDERS

Roanoke City Council on Monday approved a $3.7 million operating budget for the transit service's next fiscal year, raising fares from $1 a ride to $1.25 and extending evening service from 6:45 to 8:45.

The fare increases and extended service are scheduled to begin July 11, said Steven Mancuso, general manager of Valley Metro. The transit system runs Monday through Saturday.

"Let me tell you, this budget reflects a number of comments made by citizens at public meetings. [Valley Metro] did listen, and there are changes to this budget," said Councilman Howard Musser. Council acts as the board of directors for the Greater Roanoke Transit Co., otherwise known as Valley Metro.

Student fares will increase from 50 cents to 60 cents per ride and the basic unlimited ride pass will increase from $32 to $40 monthly.

The additional revenues will pay for five more full-time drivers for the bus service, the additional personnel necessary to extend service two hours per day.

Valley Metro managers proposed the increased fares and service in April after conducting both formal and informal passenger surveys. Large majorities of riders supported extending the hours and fare increases to pay for it, Mancuso said.

A random sampling of 96 bus riders showed that 93.7 percent supported extending the hours, while 78.9 percent said they'd be willing to pay $1.25 or more per ride if service was extended. A public hearing was held May 18, with the chief complaints coming from community college students who ride the buses regularly.

"The No. 1 complaint about the system is we stop too soon. They want extended service," he said.

Besides convenience for riders, extended service could aid downtown merchants if workers eat dinner or shop after work before heading home.

The transit company also will add Saturday service for its limited stop express bus, which now runs Monday through Friday from Orange Avenue Northwest to Roanoke-Salem Plaza.

Mancuso said about 5,300 people ride Valley Metro's 16 bus routes each Monday through Saturday. Thirteen additional buses are added for morning and evening rush hours.

The extended hours are estimated to cost $220,479 annually, and the increased fares should cover all of that, he said.

Officials expect to see a short-term decline in ridership as a result of the fare increases. The same thing happened when fares were increased in 1990, from 75 cents to $1.