Starting on Monday, August 18, the price for a ride on Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District (MTD) buses will increase for the first time in 16 years, going up to $2.50 for a regular fare, with a reduced fare of $1.25 for seniors or people with disabilities.
According to a statement released by MTD, the increased fare has been in the works since January, when MTD officials proposed the fare hike as a way to address the 10 percent increase in operational costs over the past five years and the expected $3 million loss in Federal Transit Authority funding due to the city’s designation as a “large urbanized area,” eliminating several previously available funding options.
MTD began a public comment process earlier this year, seeking input from the community between two proposed fee rates, giving an option to either raise the regular fare to $2.25 with more expensive extended passes, or raise the fare to $2.50 with more moderately priced extended passes…