L.A. City Council moves to double DASH bus fares

Fares on the Los Angeles DASH bus system will double over the next 13 months under a plan approved Friday by the City Council.

On a 10-0 vote, the council agreed to increase bus fares from 25 cents to 35 cents starting Aug. 1 and to 50 cents starting July 1, 2011.

A second vote is scheduled Tuesday, when the council will be asked to approve an ordinance enacting the fare increases. The increases are part of a larger plan backed by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s appointees on the Transportation Commission for cutting transit lines and boosting revenue from riders.

As part of that plan, fares will also go up on the city’s Commuter Express system, which takes passengers to downtown from outlying communities, such as Sylmar and Redondo Beach.

Commuter Express fares currently range from 90 cents to $3.10, depending on how far the buses travel. On July 1, 2011, fares would range from $1.50 to $4.25.

Under the city’s cutback plan, the Department of Transportation is scheduled to eliminate three DASH routes that circulate downtown and three routes that operate in Hollywood, Hyde Park and Warner Center.

The agency also would phase out three Commuter Express routes: Line 575, which travels from Simi Valley to Warner Center; Line 413, which moves from Van Nuys and North Hollywood to downtown; and Line 430, which runs from Pacific Palisades to downtown Los Angeles.

Council members Bill Rosendahl, Paul Koretz and Tom LaBonge tried to save Line 430 last month by persuading their colleagues to double DASH fares immediately.

They backed away from that idea Friday, with Rosendahl saying Line 430 does not have enough riders to justify its continuation. On several other DASH and Commuter Express routes, buses will arrive less frequently or travel shorter distances.

Shortly before the vote, several council members voiced dismay about a plan to eliminate the city’s charter bus program, which takes seniors and children to concerts, museums and special events for free.

Council members Ed Reyes and Janice Hahn asked transportation officials to search for money to preserve at least a part of the program. Councilman Dennis Zine said the city has no choice but to move ahead with the cuts.

“The problem is, there’s only so much money,” he said. “And we have to come to the realization that we’re going to have to make some cutbacks to every service we provide.”

-- David Zahniser at Los Angeles City Hall

Comments

[hannahjane]

Maybe instead of using our federal transportation money to make more lanes on the 405 and other freeways, we can find a way to have a viable public transportation system in Southern California. You will never get more people to use public transportation by cutting routes, making routes shorter and making the time intervals longer. Seriously, LA City Council...you can do better.

[Los Angeles]

Our public transportation system is a big fat joke. Everything is so close to each other that it doesnt make sense. Half of the Gold line stop in Downtown are in walking distance of each other and barely reaches the north east end of los angeles. New York pwns are tracks

[St]

Raising the rates to $0.50 is fine, but cutting service is just dumb. As the other poster mentions, there needs to be a substantial increase in services, and taxes to pay for light rail and dedicated bus lanes. Oh, but the LA City Council has their hands tied dealing with Arizona. Forgot...

[commuter express rider]

As a regular rider of the Commuter Express, I fully support these changes. Fare increases on the Commuter Express routes are long overdue. The current fares have not been changed since at least 2001 when I started riding. The new, higher fares are still very reasonable considering the distances traveled and the cost of fuel. And Line 430 should have been cut years ago, as it is severly underutilized, usually only 2-3 riders per bus. I am sorry to hear of the fare increases and service cutbacks to DASH, as this is a wonderful service, but reality must be faced.

[MD]

How long has the fare been 25 cents? It's been that price for at least 20 years, possibly longer. 50 cents still sounds reasonable.

[johnny]

I agree with hannah! comparing to other cities, publinc transportation here in LA is terrible. I wish every branch of government inside the great state of california works together and proposes a green and efficient public transportation.

[Astonished]

So. . . your going to save a line by making it more expensive to ride on the darn things.

Is it just me, or does that logic not compute?

[Jason Platt]

Re: Maybe instead of using our federal transportation money to make more lanes on the 405 and other freeways, we can find a way to have a viable public transportation system in Southern California. You will never get more people to use public transportation by cutting routes, making routes shorter and making the time intervals longer. Seriously, LA City Council...you can do better.

Posted by: hannahjane | June 04, 2010 at 02:52 PM

I agree with these sentiments completely, especially in regards to the DASH lines.

[David]

Los Angeles and the MTA pays only lip-service to viable modes of public transportation. They "encourage" people to get out of their cars, while continuing to wield their axe to routes. I would take the Metrolink to work every day if there were a train running during my work schedule, but the politically-correct money doesn't go toward suburban commuters. Keep up the good work guys.

[Dario]

Sure, double the DASH fares. That won't effect anyone on the City Council, or any of their friends. Thanks for taking another hit for the city, middle and lower class.

[Anna]

Well, so much for the DASH. I've enjoyed the 25 cent rides for about ten years now, but will not be riding when fares are DOUBLED to 50 cents. Problem is, we have the highest paid council members in the country, yet they can't find a way to shield us commoners from paying more and more money for less and less service. I think it's time for THEM to come down a few pegs.

[kuruc]

la city council! why to you want to punish the "immigrants" by raising their bus fare? aren't you boycotting arizona for them? is this their payback? doesn't make any sense.

[Michael Freed]

C'mon. Yes, technically it's doubled, but .25 to .50 is not a big increase in dollar terms, only in percentage terms. It will just be a little less subsidized from now on.

[Tim McGarry]

These guys just aren't getting it. We are out of money to give to them to waste. We really need to elect some people to the council who are qualified for the job.

[L.E. Dubin]

25 cents to ride the DASH is/was a bargain & great way to travel locally - WHENEVER the DASH bus showed up, never on schedule!!! OR i got to wave hello-goodbye? to all the passengers riding the DASH as another too-full bus PASSED ME BY at the bus stop! ... maybe i'll pay the higher fare rate but pulleeze! give me better service!!!