PORT ANGELES — Clallam Transit has proposed to raise the price of a monthly bus pass to help cover a $250,000 budget deficit.
The price of an adult regular pass would be raised from the current $27 per month to $36 per month — a 33 percent increase — if the change is approved.
A premium pass, which is used to travel from one city to another, would be raised from the current $36 per month to $54 per month — a 50 percent price hike.
The rates for senior citizen passes would be doubled. A base pass for those 65 and older would go from $9 per month to $18 per month.
A premium senior pass would double from $18 to $36 per month.
Youths and disabled riders would still pay $18 for a base pass, but the premium pass for youths and disabled riders would go from $27 to $36.
Cash fares would remain the same: $1 for an adult and 50 cents for seniors, youths and disabled riders in the city; and $1.50 for adults and $1 for others on longer trips.
Clallam Transit raised its cash fares in July 2010 and has no plans to raise them again, general manager Terry Weed said.
The last time Clallam Transit raised the price of a bus pass was in 1997. If approved, the price increase would take effect in January.
Riders can voice their concerns about the proposal to Clallam Transit’s governing board in a public hearing Monday, Oct. 17.
The hearing will be held at 1 p.m. at the Clallam Transit System building at 830 W. Lauridsen Blvd. near the top of the Tumwater Truck Route in Port Angeles.
Written comments will be accepted as public testimony through Friday, Oct. 7. Comments can be mailed to the same address.
Weed said the price increase would bring Clallam Transit “very close” to balancing its $7.3 million operating budget.
It would also enable Clallam Transit to pay for new buses it needs.
“It’s kind of a continuation of a process that’s been in place for a number of years,” Weed said.
“We’ve been operating essentially at a deficit for three or four years, mainly draining our reserves to balance our budget, and during that time, the board has been looking for ways to essentially balance the budget.
“We’ve trimmed expenses internally, cut service a little bit, cut some nonproductive services, and this is just another step in the process.”
Clallam Transit cut its total service by 5.8 percent in February to save $187,861 in annual costs.
Even if the price hike is approved, Weed said, Clallam Transit would still offer “some of the lowest passenger rates in this state.”
Sue Liedtke of Forks, who is blind, rides the bus regularly. She led an unsuccessful campaign to persuade Clallam Transit to pull its buses to the front of the Port Angeles Walmart store in November 2010.
When told that her premium disabled pass might go from $27 to $36 per month, Liedtke said: “That’s quite a bit.”
“I understand they’re doing it to stay afloat,” she added.
“It’s better than losing the service. It’s my only means of transportation.”
Liedtke, who was reached by cellphone on a Clallam Transit bus, said a price hike would have an adverse affect on people living on fixed incomes.
“It’s still cheaper than gas,” she added.
Clallam Transit’s proposal consolidates passes for youth, senior and disabled riders into a single reduced-fare pass. Weed said that move would cut administrative costs.
The proposal also simplifies the pass structure.
If you ride the bus more than 18 times a month, it would be a better deal to buy a pass. If you ride the bus fewer than 18 times a month, it’s a better deal to pay cash.
The proposal would also do the following:
■ Eliminate paratransit discount tickets.
■ Require proof of eligibility for reduced-cash fares and passes.
■ Reduce the subsidy for employer-sponsored bus pass programs.
■ Charge paratransit riders actual cost, or $3 per mile in 2012, for rides beyond the federally mandated three-fourths-of-a-mile zone off fixed routes.
Paratransit riders currently pay a $1 flat fee for the extended service.
More information about the proposal package is available at www.clallamtransit.com.
“Anytime things change, and anytime rates do go up, there is going to be public concern,” Weed said.
“We recognize that. We want to give the public an opportunity to certainly comment on [the proposals], but we also want them to learn how and why we’re doing all that.”
_________
Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-417-3537 or at rob.ollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
