AC Transit raising bus fares for first time since 2020 to help close $238M budget gap

An AC Transit bus bound for Hilltop Mall in Richmond, Calif., in July 2019. (Yann Kemper via Bay City News)

In order to help fill an estimated $238 million, four-year budget gap, Alameda-Contra Costa Transit is hiking bus fares for the first time since 2020.

The two-county, bus-only transit agency will phase in the increases starting in July, with the local adult cash fare going up from $2.50 to $2.75 and the transbay cash fare rising from $6 to $6.50, according to AC Transit officials.

The second phase includes another 25-cent increase, which will bring the local cash fare to $3 in July of 2026.

“The approved fare adjustment is expected to generate $4.1 million in revenue in the coming fiscal year. By the end of FY 2026/27, the additional fare revenue is projected to reach $7.9 million,” according to an announcement from the agency.

AC Transit hasn’t raised fares in years while using pandemic-era federal funding to offset some of its ridership losses that continue to linger since the end of COVID-19 travel restrictions and social distancing mandates.

In addition to the fare hikes, the agency said it is looking for “efficiencies within our operations to reduce costs” and alternative funding sources.

The post AC Transit raising bus fares for first time since 2020 to help close $238M budget gap appeared first on Local News Matters.

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