St. Louis Metro proposes fare hike

St. Louis Metro will host several meetings and a public hearing next month on three proposed transit-fare increase options.

If approved by the Bi-State Development Agency's Board of Commissioners in May, a fare hike would go into effect July 1, the start of fiscal-year 2015, St. Louis Metro officials said in a press release.

Options include increasing cash-reduced rail fares from $1.10 to $1.25.

Plans for periodic fare hikes are included in the St. Louis region's "Moving Transit Forward" long-range transit plan, which was implemented in 2010.

"Metro is committed to raising fares by a small percentage every two years instead of large infrequent increases in order to lessen the impact on customers," Metro officials said.

Fare revenue covers 22 percent of operating costs for transit service. The balance is supported by local sales taxes, grants and other assistance. The proposed fare increase is needed to sustain current service levels and cover rising operating costs including fuel, vehicle parts and employee medical benefits, agency officials said.