Elk Grove transit fees rise

By Todd Wilson
CNS Staff Writer

In these tough economic times, many Elk Grove residents use the city’s e-tran bus service to commute to work as a cost-saving measure, but starting this month, they are saving a little less.

On Feb. 11, the Elk Grove City Council voted to raise transit fares for the first time since fixed route service began in 2005. The increase went into effect on April 1.

One-way cash fares for adults have increased from $1.50 to $2.25, a 50 percent jump in price. Monthly commuter passes rose from $60 to $100, a nearly 67 percent increase.

City of Elk Grove Transit Manager Tiffany Fink said there are two reasons fare increases could not be put off any longer.

The first is to meet a state mandate requiring transit agencies to recover a certain percentage of their operating costs from fares. The second is an attempt to reach fare parity with Sacramento Regional Transit with which e-trans has transfer agreements.

Fink said in order for e-trans to receive funding from the state’s Transportation Development Act, state law requires the agency to recover 20 percent of its costs from transit box fares. If the agency does not meet this requirement, it will lose both state and federal funding.

Fink said this had not been a problem – until now – because the law allows for exemptions to give new transit agencies a few years to build their services.

“Recovering 20 percent from fare boxes right out of the gate is difficult to do,” Fink said.

Also, RT requested that E-trans renegotiate the transfer agreements between the two agencies to avoid fare disparity, Fink said.

“Being out of parity could create a gap and one agency could end up owing the other money,” Fink said.

One solution is to charge the same fare. Elk Grove decided to match RT’s fare, rather than risk owing money, Fink said.

When e-trans began offering fixed- route bus service, its rates were benchmarked to RT’s. Since then, RT’s fees have increased while e-tran’s have remained the same.

RT Chief Financial Officer Dee Brookshire said RT began talking about renegotiating transfer agreements with other agencies last summer. She said a February 2008 transit fare study showed the transfer agreements from lower fare agencies decreased revenue for RT.

Brookshire said RT offers more routes and services, such as light rail, than its partner agencies, and therefore, has to charge more for services. She said RT decided to renegotiate the transfer agreements in light of $22 million in budget cuts from the state.

Brookshire said fare parity is not required by RT as a part of the transfer agreements, but the lower fare agency would likely end up owing RT the difference.

Brookshire said the transfer agreements do not benefit RT, but the agency is committed to them based on a mutual desire by all regional transportation agencies to make using mass transit easy for customers.

Fink said RT and e-tran are working to finalize their transfer agreements, and a new deal should be coming shortly.

Elk Grove residents who use the e-tran bus service to commute to work say they plan to continue using the service despite the fee increases.

Ellie Hough rides the bus to work in downtown Sacramento five days a week. She said even with the fare increase, using the bus is still the most economical way to get to work.

“The fare increases are the pattern of everything right now,” Hough said. “I can’t think of one of my bills that hasn’t gone up recently.”

State worker John Martinez also uses e-tran to commute to work. He said when he factors in the cost of gas and parking, the mileage on his car and the amount of time he would spend stuck in traffic, mass transit is the best option for him.

Martinez said the biggest problem he has with e-tran is that return service to Elk Grove stops in the early evening. Martinez said if he works late he has to find another way to get home.

“If they could take care of that with this increase that would be nice,” Martinez said.