The Gary Public Transportation Corp.'s board of directors voted Thursday to increase fares for local and regional routes. Local rides will cost $1.60 and regional routes $2.25.
The new fare structure that begins Feb. 6 also will drop the 15-cent charge for transfers and retool the U.S. 30 Shuttle into a local route. Fares were not increased for paratransit service.
The board also voted to eliminate Saturday service in June if GPTC's funding situation doesn't improve.
The bulk of comments made at the public hearing were riders concerned over the potential elimination of Saturday buses. Losing Saturday service will save GPTC an estimated $230,000 in operating costs.
Sumiko Marlinia Tarver takes a Saturday class at Indiana University Northwest.
"I don't know if I can change that by tomorrow," said Tarver of possibly rescheduling the class. "Since I am a student, I feel like I should be riding for free."
Lois Smith said increasing fares and eliminating Saturday service would place a hardship on her.
"To eliminate that, please reconsider," Smith said. "It's going to hurt an awful lot of people and especially me."
GPTC's fare revenue will increase to a projected $865,800 with the changes. But those gains come with an expected slight decrease in riders.
GPTC General Manager Daryl Lampkins said GPTC's first fare increase since 1995 is due to a combination of forces. The state's property tax caps are dramatically cutting the transit agency's funding, Lampkins told a room of concerned community members. In addition, the collection rate on those taxes is below 70 percent.
Lampkins expressed frustration about failed consolidation attempts with the Northwest Indiana Regional Bus Authority. To receive further grant dollars, GPTC has been advised to consolidate with the RBA. A former RBA grant to help fund regional buses ended in 2010, but GPTC has made a new $6.6 million grant request.
"We're pretty frustrated at the process that it hasn't occurred and to get to the point where we have to raise fares," Lampkins said. "We don't feel there's been equity in the process."
GPTC will also go before the Distressed Unit Appeals Board in an effort to ease the affects the property tax caps have had on the agency.
RBA board president Steve Adik warned that transportation won't be able to support itself unless a long-term funding source is found. The RBA's funding source, the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority, has given a Dec. 31 deadline for when it will stop providing operational assistance.