CHESTERTON — The Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District is considering a possible fare increase for South Shore commuter rail service riders later this year.
The proposed increase in fares wouldn't go into effect until July 1, General Manager Michael Noland said during his presentation to the NICTD board on Friday.
NICTD staff is preparing an increase proposal which would average 2.5 percent per year over two years.
The next step will be for the board to authorize a fare equity analysis, required by Title VI, to determine if the proposal would result in a disparate impact on minority and low income passengers, Noland said.
Those findings would be reviewed with the NICTD board on March 18, then public meetings would be conducted in four county service areas to gather comments.
Finally, on May 20, staff would present a summary of the passengers' comments regarding the proposed fare.
The new fares, if approved, would be adopted on July 1, Noland said.
Noland, as part of the year in review, said South Shore ridership increased, from 2014 to 2015, by 2,306 passengers.
Total ridership in 2014 was 3,614,252, and in 2015, 3,616,558, Noland said.
The commuter service, during weekday peak, increased its on-time performance, going from 90.7 percent in 2014 to 91.6 percent in 2015.
One of highlights was the introduction last March of the Sunrise Express, which makes the trip from South Bend to Chicago in under two hours.