Pioneer Press Tue, 18 Mar 2008 23:03:12 -0600
Metro Transit bus, train fares likely to increase
A possible $47.5 million hole in the budget of the Metropolitan Council will likely lead to fare hikes on buses and trains at a time when ridership is booming, the agency's top official said Tuesday. Met Council Chairman Peter Bell said he "suspects" an increase of a quarter to 50 cents for all fares â€" the first in almost three years â€" but said higher hikes and service cuts are possible if the funding hole isn't at least partially patched. In addition to ridership rising â€" bus ridership for February was 11 percent above a year ago â€" the predicament has surfaced on the heels of a state transportation funding plan with a mass transit-dedicated sales tax and an expensive push to build the Central Corridor light-rail line linking St. Paul and Minneapolis. In remarks to legislators and the Pioneer Press, Bell warned that if the agency resorts to service cuts, the federal government's funding of the Central Corridor will be in jeopardy.
[[keywords: PublicWorks;Metro;]]
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