Orange: You Just Might Have to Walk

In Orange, it’s always been if you couldn’t afford a car, you could just take the bus.  But what if you couldn’t afford the bus anymore?  Well, then you just might have to walk.

When everything is getting more expensive and people are looking at every way to cut spending, even what they rely on for the “cheaper alternative” is getting more costly.  When it rains, it hails.  Or, more scientifically, when gas prices go up, everything goes up.

OC Register’s Serena Daniels covered the “Bus fares could be going up” story in Orange.  Apparently, the fares are not covering their fare share of the transit budget.  Here are some excerpts from Daniels’ article:

OCTA officials are considering several fare options, including raising the price of a single trip to $1.50, up a quarter for regular passengers. And, 30-day passes could go up to $55, a $10 increase. Customers have been sent fliers this week, announcing the proposed increase.

Seniors and disabled riders can also expect an increase.

“We know these are really hard times and we know that people are struggling to keep their jobs, so our No. 1 imperative is to keep the buses running so people can continue going to work,” said Art Leahy, CEO of OCTA.

The proposed increase comes during a surge in ridership on public transportation. In August, nearly 6 million people boarded OCTA buses, the highest monthly ridership figures in OCTA’s 36-year history. . .

Bus fares need to be raised in order to pay for the mounting costs of fuel, wages, benefits and federally mandated transportation services for the disabled, OCTA officials say.

Leahy said since 2005, fuel costs have increased by 185 percent, health costs by more than 27 percent, and pension costs have gone up 91 percent. . .

A public hearing will be held Oct. 27. The board of directors is expected to vote on the issue at a Nov. 24 meeting.

It’s still cheaper to take the bus than own and drive a car.  However, if you ask me, the best solution is to live closer to work.  Not such a popular idea when this means putting in more affordable housing in affluent communities (where the jobs are).