THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, July 23, 1995 TAG: 9507240272
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY KAREN WEINTRAUB AND MAC DANIEL, STAFF WRITERS
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Long : 121 lines
With a proposed 40-cent increase in its base fare, Tidewater Regional Transit could join some of the nation's more expensive public transportation systems.
The fare increase - the fourth in the last five years - is TRT's means of preparing for the expected federal cuts for public transportation. It is also being touted as a way of simplifying the current complex fare system.
TRT estimates that 40 percent of riders who travel in more than one zone will save money as a result of the changes. Some riders, however, will see an increase in their fares.
The TRT Board of Commissioners, made up of state officials and representatives from the region's city councils, are scheduled to meet again in August. They expect to vote on the fare increase in September.
This fare increase comes on the heels of one of the largest route cuts in the history of TRT, stranding an estimated 600 bus riders who depended on the routes to get around.
The proposed $1.50 base fare places TRT among some of the most expensive public transportation systems in the country. TRT is one of the few transit agencies to ask for such a high fare for a bus-only service. Most other transit agencies with similar fares offer riders a plethora of traveling options.
PENTRAN, the Peninsula's public transit agency, charges a $1 base fare. The agency increased its fare in February after three years without a hike, according to PENTRAN Executive Director Michael S. Townes.
With the $1.50 proposed fare, TRT's base fare equals that of the public transportation agencies in Chicago, San Diego and Atlanta. Few public transportation agencies charge more than $1.50 for a bus trip. Philadelphia's SEPTA charges $1.60. Bay Area Transit in San Francisco charges a $2 base fare, as does the system in Wilmington, Del.
``Certainly Norfolk, in having to make this change, will be in the higher ranges of transit systems,'' said Chip Bishop, spokesman for the American Public Transit Association.
And charging more doesn't always mean better service and ridership. The APTA did a study several years ago that showed that transit agencies can expect to lose approximately 3 percent to 4 percent of riders for every 10 percent increase in fares.
``Some of that ridership will come back eventually,'' said Bishop, ``but for the first six months you tend to get a fairly steady correlation.'' He added that the drop-off tends to be slightly higher in small cities.
All of this comes as the U.S. House of Representatives begins taking up the Department of Transportation's appropriations bill.
The bill, which has been approved in subcommittee, would reduce overall funding to public transportation agencies by 13.4 percent.
``It's a very serious situation,'' said Bishop. ``We have told the Congress that if this becomes law, we can expect a round of fare increases, service reductions and layoffs.''
If the cuts are made, Bishop said, the hardest hit people are low-income workers and senior citizens, who heavily depend on public transportation.
``It will be the cities the size of Norfolk and smaller that will feel this the hardest,'' he said. ``The smaller the community, the more dependent they are on federal operating assistance.''
TRT gets about 13 percent of its annual operating income from the federal government.
Eighty-year-old Clara Banks goes where Tidewater Regional Transit goes. She takes TRT buses to visit Virginia Beach, shop in Chesapeake's Greenbrier Mall and buy her groceries in Norfolk, her hometown.
Like many loyal bus riders, Banks is none too happy about TRT's proposed fare increase.
``But,'' said Banks, ``we have to ride. What else can we do? As they say: you have to go along with the flow.''
As TRT begins a series of public hearings to discuss the proposed fare increase, bus riders are generally resigned to the fact that fares will be raised again.
Two more public hearings are scheduled in the next months to allow the public to comment on the proposed fare increase.
TRT's base fare is proposed to go up from $1.10 to $1.50. The price of commuter ticket books will increase from $8 to $10 for 10 tickets. And the 25-cent fare to ride around both the downtown Norfolk and downtown Portsmouth zones will be eliminated under TRT's proposal.
Commuters who ride longer distances on TRT will get a break. They currently must pay a 55-cent surcharge each time they cross a TRT zone border. Under the new fare structure, there will be no zone system or surcharges.
In doing this, TRT is hoping to simplify its fare structure by charging the flat fee. At the same time, TRT is proposing to offer further discounts to riders using ticket books and Fare-Cutter Cards.
Some of the changes are designed to eliminate waste, according to TRT officials. The plan to eliminate the 25-cent fare to ride around the downtown sections of Portsmouth and Norfolk was proposed after TRT learned that only about $400 was generated from the 25-cent service last year, according to TRT's Jeff Becker.
Only a handful of passengers use the service per day, he said.
``We haven't gotten any reaction to it,'' said Becker. ``Pretty much, people know about it. But they're not so sensitive to fare increase as they are to service reductions. People are used to paying a little bit more.''
The proposed elimination of zone charges will help TRT simplify the fare system. Becker said that about 60 percent of riders ride in one zone while about 35 percent of the riders travel through two zones. The remaining 5 percent travel through more than two zones.
Fares for handicapped residents on specially designed vans are also proposed to change. The rides will cost $3 each, replacing the former base fare of $2.20 with $1.10 zone surcharges.
By creating a base bus fare of $1.50 and an average commuter ticket price of $1, TRT is hoping to substantially shift cash-payers to ticket-buyers.
More than 20 percent of TRT riders use tickets, which cost 80 cents. ``This is probably why we're not getting much static over the fare,'' Becker said.
For more information on the proposed fare increases, call TRT at 640-6300. ILLUSTRATION: Graphics
STAFF
BUS FARES THROUGHOUT THE U.S.
[For complete graphic, please see microfilm]
MORE DETAILS
For more information on the proposed fare increases, call TRT at
640-6300.
by CNB