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Metro Transit-St. Louis’ board has authorized a fare increase to take effect July 1, the start of the agency’s fiscal year.

The board’s decision to raise fares had been postponed for the past two years, Metro officials said in a prepared statement. In April, the agency solicited public opinions on three fare-increase options.

The option chosen calls for raising the prices of two-hour, weekly, monthly and semester passes. On July 1, the cost of the two-hour pass will increase from $2.75 to $3; the weekly pass will go up from $23.50 to $25; monthly passes will rise from $68 to $72; and the college-student semester pass will increase from $145 to $150.

“The fare increase will generate nearly $2 million in passenger revenue for fiscal-year 2013, money that is essential to sustain current transit operations,” said Metro President and Chief Executive Officer John Nations.

Passenger revenue supports 22 percent of the agency’s cost to provide transit service. Increases for fuel, vehicle parts and medical benefit expenses continue to drive up the agency’s operating costs, agency officials said.

Meanwhile, Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) plans to implement the last in a series of inflation-based fare increases on July 1, when fares will rise 1.4 percent. Because BART rounds fares to the nearest nickel, some fares will remain the same after the increase, including the minimum BART fare of $1.75. The average fare will increase by five cents.

BART last increased fares in July 2009, agency officials said.