To retain funding, city proposes to cut bus system routes, raise fares

BARSTOW • In order to retain part of its funding, the Barstow Area Transit System is recommending changes to its routes and increases to its rates. But the public will have a chance to weigh-in on the proposed changes before they are brought to the City Council for discussion and a vote.

The City of Barstow proposes increasing the regular fares on its city bus routes from $1.10 currently to $1.25 next year. Fare increases are also being proposed for its county service. Tokens and 10-ride passes would no longer be accepted once the changes are implemented. County dial-a-ride would be replaced by a deviated fixed route system — for an extra fee the bus will deviate off the fixed route system to pick up or drop off a rider at their residence on a county-maintained road. And the system’s current all-ride service would be eliminated while fixed route hours for the city would be extended from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday; 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday. County service hours will also be extended.

Exactly when these changes go into effect depends on when a public meeting can be held and when the matter would come before the City Council, said City Spokesman John Rader. Rader said the city hopes to have a public meeting on the proposed changes scheduled later this month. The matter is expected to come before the City Council at its second meeting in December.

If these changes aren’t implemented, the transit system could lose part of the funding it receives through the San Bernardino Associated Governments, the county’s transportation planning agency. At least 10 percent of the transit system’s operation fund must come from bus fares, Rader said. According to an audit by SANBAG, about 9.6 percent of Barstow Area Transit System’s operating fund for the year ending June 30, 2008, came from bus fares.

“The last fare increase for Barstow Area Transit was in 2002,” Rader said. “The cost of doing business has steadily increased since that time (fuel, insurance, human capital, maintenance, etc.).”

Already notices have been posted on local buses informing riders of the potential changes. And for some people, such as Steven Johnson, who rides the bus from his home in Daggett to work at Wal-Mart, the proposed fare increases and route changes will pose a problem.

Johnson, who has been riding the local buses since 1997, has seen changes, but they’ve always been changes for the better. Raising bus fares and eliminating the use of tokens or 10-ride passes in this economy is a big mistake, he said.

“Some people can’t afford to pay for monthly passes,” he said, adding that he would boycott the system in protest if the changes are implemented. “(The 10-ride passes) last longer than a monthly pass.”

Barstow resident Patricia Ramirez, who rides the bus daily to go to school and run errands, says the extended hours are better, but they shouldn’t eliminate the county dial-a-ride or all-ride services.

“A lot of people get out of work after 9 p.m.,” she said.

Contact the writer:
(760) 256-4123 or jcejnar@desertdispatch.com