Feature Stories
Bus Riders See Rates Rise
by Kirt Ramirez
A regular bus rider got a surprise when he boarded the 172 headed to Trader Joe's in the Los Altos shopping center the evening of Saturday, Feb. 20.
He deposited the usual $1.10 upon entry and proceeded to take his seat only to have the bus driver yell “It’s $1.25.”
Shocked, the regular bus rider asked, “What do you mean?” The driver pointed to a new fare menu stuck to the coin box to prove his point. The rider responded, “I didn’t know.”
The rider rode the bus for $1.10 earlier that day and no one said anything. He had no idea the cost went up seven days prior.
A newly-noticed sign on a wall behind the bus driver only read, “Rider Notice Effective Sunday Feb 14, 2010 Fare & Service Adjustments” – with several bus numbers displayed underneath. But Bus 172 was not listed.
It could appear that only the bus numbers listed were to get a fare and service adjustment. Moreover, a specific dollar amount could not be found anywhere on the sign.
Confused, the rider visited www.lbtransit.com and downloaded news releases relating to fare adjustments. He then learned that all standard Long Beach bus fares went up in price (except for the little red “Passport” buses, which remain free and provide tourists downtown service.)
The most recent press-release Feb. 12, 2010 says “Long Beach Transit’s second phase of a 2-step fare adjustment will take place on Feb. 14, 2010. These fare adjustments, approved by the Long Beach Transit Board of Directors in January 2009, will help to partially make up for cuts in state funding.”
On the same page, a table shows the regular cash fare increasing to $1.25 in addition to other fares. A day pass now costs $4, up from $3.50. A 30-day pass costs $65 now, when it used to be $60.
But students get a discount. A 30-day pass for them requires a $40 payment, up from $35. Seniors and the disabled only have to pay $0.60 for a one-way trip when it used to be $.50.
Those who are in wheelchairs or are legally blind can still ride for free.
The digital, high-tech money machines do not give back change. Customers must pay the exact amount because any extra cash submitted stays in the apparatus.
Meanwhile, besides the Feb. 12 press-release alerting of the increase, the next most recent one discussing rate adjustments appeared Nov. 19, 2009. After that release, Feb. 12 of 2009 was the next recent. But that one announced the former rate hike from $0.90 to $1.10 that took effect Feb. 15, 2009.
Another long-time bus rider, Keith Huss, 31, who attends Long Beach City College, said he had no idea the rates went up until the day of the hike. “I didn’t notice it until the day it happened, on Valentine’s Day,” Huss said. “I didn’t see it coming.”
Huss, who uses monthly passes, was asked if he received a letter or notification that the rates would go up: “I didn’t get that,” he said.
Long Beach Transit Marketing Manager Marcelle Epley was contacted.
“Transit agencies throughout California and the United States are having to make these difficult decisions from the impacts of the state budget cuts that unfortunately have impacted transit customers throughout the region,” Epley said in an e-mail to the Beachcomber.
Regarding confused riders who were caught off-guard by the increase, Epley said, “It was a very smooth transition for our customers who were provided materials ahead of time, resulting in very little confusion.”
Epley added that a financial shortfall still exists and that the new fares “could bring in as much as $1.5 million and will certainly help, but will not solve the $5-7 million funding shortfall that we are anticipating.”
Regarding the new, large red buses, Epley said they were made possible through separate federal funding.
“Long Beach Transit put 25 new hybrid buses into service in April 2009, which enabled the company to retire older diesel buses, making Long Beach Transit’s 40-foot bus fleet nearly 50% hybrid-electric gasoline,” she said.
Each of those new buses cost about $550,000, she added.
On bus 172 headed up PCH on Monday, Feb. 22, LBCC student Roger Donetelli expressed unhappiness. “I’m upset because I go to college and the extra (15 cents) can be a Subway sub or something.”
But happy customer Terry Greene said this via e-mail:
“I love Long Beach Transit’s service, frequency, and low fares. Other cities already charge far more than LBT does and a 15 cent fare increase still keeps the fare lower than those other cities who charge more for inferior service, fewer buses and long waits in between. I think it’s great that LBT brought back transfers for 50 cents that allow you to change buses without paying another full-fare.”
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