High Gas Prices Prompt Metro Bus Service to Raise Fares 25 Pcrcent

By Mark Peters, Portland Press Herald, Maine

Oct. 19–High gas prices could soon catch up with people in Greater Portland who don’t even use cars.

The Metro bus service is looking at a fare increase of 25 percent to offset the increasing price of diesel fuel and compressed natural gas.

The jump, if approved next month by the board of the Greater Portland Transit District, would hike the $1 fare to $1.25. The increase also would affect monthly passes, senior rates and other fares.

“Because of the fuel issue, the bottom line is a fare increase looks fairly inevitable,” transit board chairman Jeffrey Monroe said.

An increase for the Portland-Westbrook service, Monroe said, could ripple to other bus companies, like the South Portland Bus Service and the Zoom Turnpike Express, which travels between York County and Cumberland County communities. It also could affect fares for the Regional Transportation Program, which serves elderly and disabled residents, he said.

“It is an issue for everybody,” said Steven Linnell, senior transportation planner for Greater Portland Council of Governments, a regional planning agency.

The board voted Tuesday to consider the fare increases and will hold public hearings in Westbrook and Portland early next month before making the final decision on Nov. 17. The new rates would take effect Jan. 1.

A fare increase would be the first for Metro since the early 1990s. The service had 1.3 million riders last year. The Portland-Westbrook bus service also has stops in Falmouth and South Portland.

The pressure from rising gas prices is the main factor behind the fare increase. The cost of fuel for the 25-bus fleet has more than doubled in the past four years.

Metro is buying 13 new buses fueled by compressed natural gas early next year. These vehicles will have better emissions, but a recent spike in natural gas prices means the fuel is no longer cheaper than diesel, transportation officials said.

This is the second year in a row Metro has looked at increasing rates. An influx of federal funding allowed the board to avoid an earlier increase, but Monroe does not see the same happening this year.

Before dodging the rate increase last year, Metro held public meetings to hear from riders. Monroe said the attendance was low, and most the riders’ comments concerned the quality of the service, not the fares.

Metro officials are trying to address these concerns by adding bus shelters, reviewing routes and adding new buses next year, Monroe said.

Bus riders getting on and off on Congress Street Tuesday did not see a major problem with increasing fares, but some worried about how the hikes would affect retirees and low-income residents.

Sarah Martin, owner of the Bar of Chocolate in the Old Port, said she would pay the additional quarter to get to her business daily. She has a car, but finds the bus cheaper because of the cost of gas and parking.

“I think it would affect some people. It definitely would not affect me,” Martin said.

The proposed increase comes as ridership on the Metro reached an all-time high two months in a row. Metro officials have not studied the increase, but believe the cost of gas may be a contributing factor.

Linnell described mixed feelings about a rate increase. He said ridership will likely drop off slightly because of the extra cost. Many of those who use the Metro do not have the option of owning a car and live on tight budgets, transportation officials said.

“My feeling is that it is probably time for an increase. It is an unfortunate population to increase on,” Linnell said.

Other communities will be watching to see what Metro does. South Portland, for example, has similar fares and provides free transfers between the two services. That means South Portland could also look at rate increases if Metro goes up, transportation officials said.

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