ACE Train Fare Likely to Rise By 7.5 Percent

By Cheryl Winkelman, STAFF WRITER

Passengers on the Altamont Commuter Express soon may have to pay more to ride the train, with the proposed introduction of a 7.5 percent fare increase and elimination of a monthly pass that helped ease travel costs for regular commuters.

Under the new fares, which likely will take effect sometime between March and May, a passenger riding round trip from the Lathrop/Manteca stop through Fremont to San Jose would pay $19.35 instead of $18.

Also in April or May, the introduction of a new electronic ticketing system will spell the end of monthly passes, which cost $259 for unlimited rides. Commuters who ride the train five days a week save more than $100 a month with the pass compared with the regular round-trip fare. A multiple-trip option also is slightly more expensive than the pass, costing $282 for 40 rides.

Under the new trip-based system, passes are available for 10, 20 or 40 trips through a private, online account with a debit-like card. If riders need more trips, they can go online and add them.

“Under this system, you only pay for what you use,” said Mike Steenburgh, marketing manager for the San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission, the agency that runs the ACE train.

Individual one-way and round-trip tickets still are available, and all tickets also can be purchased at each ACE train station.

Steenburgh said rail commissioners will meet today to discuss the proposal for ticket price increases.

A 30-day public comment period will follow, during which on- board passenger surveys will be conducted. Commissioners will set the date for a public hearing next month. At that meeting, they could pass the fare increases as proposed or amend them, based on public comment.

Feedback about the rate increases already has been received from ACE’s passenger advisory council, Steenburgh said.

The council, which met two weeks ago, said it had anticipated increases in fares — something that hasn’t happened since 2001 — but would prefer annual increases instead of increases every few years.

An increase in ticket prices couldn’t be helped, Steenburgh said.

The commission has tried cutting costs, including curtailing marketing efforts and freezing salaries, but the high price of fuel has hurt their efforts.

This fiscal year, the commission expects to spend more than $900,000 on fuel, up from $500,000 just two years ago.

“We’ve done everything we can to contain our budget,” Steenburgh said.

Staff writer Cheryl Winkelman can be reached at (209) 832-6144 or cwinkelman@angnewspapers.com.