Modesto looks to raise bus fares, restructure routes

Modesto Area Express riders could pay more to ride the bus and see other changes that are expected to improve service on popular routes while reducing service on routes with far fewer riders.

The City Council on Tuesday will be asked to approve this proposal, but the fare increases and other changes will not take effect until Feb. 1. Modesto will need time to implement the route changes if the council approves them.

A regular fare will increase from $1.50 to $2, while fares for students, seniors and the disabled will rise 25 cents. (Modesto Junior College students will continue to ride for free because the college is paying the city for its students to ride buses at no cost.) A day pass will increase from $3.25 to $4. Modesto also will get rid of transfer slips that let passengers transfer from one MAX bus to another MAX bus at no cost.

Transit Manager Adam Barth said the slips are being misused (for instance, people try to sell them), and passengers who need to transfer can buy a day pass. Monthly passes also are increasing, from $49 to $58 for a regular pass, $38 to $48 for a student pass and $24 to $29 for a senior-disabled pass. But the monthly passes will be good for 31 days.

Rachael Ramirez, 39, said overall she likes MAX and said it has good employees. But she thought raising the regular fare by 50 cents was too steep. She thought a 25 cent increase would be reasonable. “A lot of people are on fixed incomes,” Ramirez said Friday afternoon as she waited for a bus at the Transportation Center in downtown.

Modesto also proposes to consolidate routes 21, 26 and 43 into two routes, routes 23 and 27 into one route, and restructure routes 24 and 34, and routes 28 and 31.

Modesto will eliminate its Empire route. But Barth said Empire residents can use Stanislaus Regional Transit buses, though that will not be as convenient. Barth said the Empire route averages nine riders per hour, the lowest number among MAX routes.

MAX is required to get 20 percent of its funding through fares, with the rest coming from the state and federal governments. Barth said Modesto will fall below the 20 percent threshold without the fare increases. He said Modesto Area Express would be penalized by having its funding cut if it falls below that threshold.

Barth said the changes will reduce the number of MAX routes from 21 to 17 but will improve performance on routes with higher ridership. MAX will continue to operate 55 buses on its fixed-route system and provide essentially the same annual number of hours of service. MAX buses carry about 3 million riders each year.

He said some passengers who use the consolidated and restructured routes may have to walk a few blocks or as much as a half mile to catch a bus and could see a reduction in service. Barth said he understands some passengers will not like the changes but said the best use of public money is to focus on the routes that have high ridership.

Modesto held several public meetings in July and August about the proposed fare increases and routes changes.

The fare for Modesto Area Dial A Ride remains $3 but the proposal calls for eliminating the 10 percent discount for purchasing a ticket book that is good for 10 rides. The cost will increase from $27 to $30. Barth said Modesto also would eliminate Dial A Ride service in Empire. But he said Empire residents can use the county’s Dial A Ride service.

These are not the only changes.

Barth said MAX will begin installing Wi-Fi on its 55 fixed-route buses beginning next week. He said it should take two to three weeks to install Wi-Fi on all buses. And he said MAX will launch by the end of the year an app that riders can use to track MAX buses on their cell phones and other mobile devices so they can see whether buses are behind, on or ahead of schedule.

The council meets at 5:30 p.m. in the basement chambers of Tenth Street Place, 1010 10th St. The public can ask questions and comment about the fare increases and route changes.

This story was originally published September 23, 2017 at 5:45 PM with the headline "Modesto looks to raise bus fares, restructure routes."