Editorial: Bus fare fairness is a key issue

Wednesday, Oct. 6, 1999 | 9:40 a.m.

The Regional Transportation Commission, which oversees the valley's Citizens Area Transit bus system, on Oct. 14 will consider a plan to increase fares from $1.50 to $2 for those who ride routes on the Strip. Because the Strip routes have the highest level of service in the CAT system -- frequency and round-the-clock availability -- the price being offered isn't consistent with the demand and the stress these routes place on the buses, according to RTC General Manager Jacob Snow.

The proposal, which the elected officials who sit on the commission will vote on next week, is sensible. All other fares throughout the valley will stay the same. And the 30-day CAT pass, which is $20, won't be touched either. Since nearly all those who work on the Strip are using the less expensive 30-day pass, those most likely to feel the increase will be tourists.

The planned increased for Strip routes, though, is just the beginning. RTC staff also will propose another fare increase in the near future, but this one would be widespread. One-way residential route fares would increase from $1 to $1.25 and a 40-token bag would cost $20, instead of $15. The most dramatic increase, though, would be for the 30-day CAT pass, which would be hiked from $20 to $30. The RTC staff estimates that the increases would bring in an additional $9 million in revenue, allowing for more routes and more frequent service.

This increase is needed, according to the RTC staff, because the bus system is stretched to the limit now, with an estimated 150,000 passengers taking the bus every day. Ridership has increased more than 30 percent every year since the CAT bus system started in 1993, easily outpacing the valley's population growth of about 6 percent a year. Often riders standing at some stops on popular routes get bypassed, because there isn't enough room on board the buses.

The RTC staff believes the bus system should be financed more by those who ride the bus instead of getting additional money from sales tax revenues, which currently provide $49 million of the bus system's $78 million total revenues (bus fares account for $28 million and bus advertising chips in $1 million). The staff adds that even with the increase, the monthly passes would remain a bargain at $30. But many of those who ride the bus are struggling to make ends meet and will feel the bite of a fare hike. Often those who ride the bus must do so because they either don't earn enough money to afford a car or are on fixed incomes.

The fact remains that the increased bus ridership benefits everyone -- not just those who ride buses. Not only does more bus ridership lessen traffic congestion, it also means that pollution is reduced, resulting in gains for all valley residents. Bus riders alone shouldn't have to fund the expansion. A modest increase in fares and allocating more sales tax funds should both be considered if more routes are added and service is improved.