The cost of a one-way ticket on a Utah Transit Authority bus or TRAX train will remain at $1.25 in 2003 and 2004.
But the rates for most other fares offered by the transit agency — including a monthly pass, senior and paratransit tickets — will go up Thursday.
The rate hikes are part of a three-year plan for phasing in fare increases, approved by the UTA board of trustees in October 2001.
The cost of a regular monthly pass will increase from $40 to $45. A one-way trip for senior citizens will increase from 50 cents to 60 cents, and a senior monthly pass will go from $18 to $22.
The biggest fare increases will affect paratransit riders. A one-way trip on UTA's Flextrans service will increase from $1.25 to $2, and the monthly Flextrans pass will go from $40 to $68.
A group of paratransit users seeking a delay in those fare increases staged a sit-in at the UTA board meeting last week, but the board declined to make a change.
"This is a significant increase for the paratransit rider," UTA spokesman Kris McBride acknowledged.
Those who qualify for the paratransit service can take regular UTA buses and trains free. That program began in 2002 and will continue until June. McBride said the board is considering extending the Freedom Access Pass program beyond June.
In 2004, the one-way Flextrans fare is scheduled to rise from $2 to $2.50, and the monthly paratransit pass will climb from $68 to $90.
Currently, passenger fares pay for only about 20 percent of UTA's operating costs. The board would like that figure to be closer to 25 percent, McBride said.
"We wanted to implement a fare structure that encourages ridership, still fulfills community needs and is fair to the transit user and taxpayers while offsetting UTA's expenses," McBride said. "And I think we've done that."
McBride said it costs UTA about $3 to provide one trip on its regular transit network. But it costs about $30 to provide one trip on Flextrans, he said. Federal law allows the transit agency to charge up to twice as much for its Flextrans service as it does for its regular transit service.
In the past, McBride said, UTA based its regular monthly pass on 30 one-way trips. But research by its staff indicated many passengers with monthly passes were taking a lot more than 30 trips a month. The new cost of $45 is based on 36 trips a month which, McBride said, is still a bargain.
"We found people were taking a lot of trips, which we encourage," he said. "You get the most bang for your buck, if you will, out of the monthly pass."
Also Thursday, the cost of a one-way trip on a UTA ski bus will increase from $2 to $2.50. A one-day ski bus pass will go from $4 to $5. Those fares will stay fixed through 2004.
E-mail: zman@desnews.com