New Senior, Disabled and Youth Fares Take Effect July 1, 2008

On Tuesday, July 1, Metro’s senior/disabled off-peak and youth cash fares will increase by 25 cents. Prices of senior/disabled and Access passes will also increase, beginning with the sale of July 2008 passes.

Off-peak cash fares for seniors (age 65 and older) and people with disabilities with a valid Reduced Fare Permit will increase from 25 cents to 50 cents. A one-month reduced fare sticker will be $9 and a 12-month sticker $99.

Metro’s Access pass will increase in price from $13.50 to $18 per month, beginning with the sale of July passes. Access cash fares will remain at 75 cents per trip. Pre-approval of eligibility is required for Access service.

Youth cash fares (age 6-17) will increase from 50 cents to 75 cents. A one-month youth fare PugetPass will be $27.

By raising $11.7 million in additional revenue annually, this fare increase will enable Metro to maintain and improve the reliability of its system.

During the past several years, Metro Transit has taken steps to offset rising costs and hold fares steady. This effort, however, has limited Metro’s ability to keep up with increasing demand for transit services, and it is affecting the on-time performance of bus service.

Also, transit operating costs have increased significantly during the past seven years. Since the most recent fare increase in 2001, transit operating costs have increased by 37 percent, and fuel costs continue to rise.