SF Chronicle: BART fare increases, service cuts OK'd

[marmar]

Board passes BART fare increase, service cuts
Rachel Gordon, Chronicle Staff Writer

Friday, June 12, 2009


OAKLAND -- BART riders will be hit with higher fares and reduced service at night and on weekends under a budget package approved Thursday by the rail agency's governing board.

A 6.1 percent fare hike will go into effect July 1 - six months ahead of schedule - and the minimum cost of a BART ride will go up 25 cents, to $1.75.

In addition, the surcharge on rides to and from San Francisco International Airport will jump to $4, an increase of $2.50. That's on top of the basic fare riders must pay. And a $1-a-day parking charge will begin at eight more East Bay station lots.

Service cuts are coming, too. Starting in September, trains will show up every 20 minutes instead of every 15 minutes on nights and weekends. BART also will start running one line instead of two on the Peninsula on nights and weekends.

And if all those changes aren't unsettling enough for riders, the possibility of a strike by BART's unionized workers is looming. With five contracts for 2,800 of BART's 3,200 employees set to expire at the end of the month, the tone of the showdown between management and labor is becoming increasingly caustic, with both sides ramping up their campaigns to sway public opinion. ...............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/06/11/BA47185TNH.DTL