The Suffolk County legislature is proposing to upgrade the local transit system, but the improvements would start with a fare hike.
The initial proposal would add Sunday service for the first time on buses and paratransit, or Suffolk County Accessible Transportation (SCAT), beginning in May 2011.
To pay for the increased service, the Suffolk County Department of Public Works would increase the cost of SCAT from $3 to up to $3.75. The current bus fare of $1.50, with students paying $1 and seniors and people with disabilities paying 50 cents, could rise as high as $2.25, though more modest increases are possible.
The proposed changes are part of a larger plan by the local legislature that aims to make comprehensive improvements to the transit system within 5-10 years. Resolution 253-2010, which calls for the fare hike and addition of Sunday service, is the first step in the plan. It was passed by the legislature in March.
“The Sunday service recommendation was extracted from a plan that was finalized for the County bus system, and the reports are in the process of being finalized,” said Robert Shinnick, Director Transportation Operations for Suffolk County Transit (SCT).That plan recommends modifications to existing routes, expanded service into the evenings and more frequent trips.
“It was not put together as a specific plan for Sunday service for SCAT as much as a recommendation for how to go about improving the County bus service in general, but when the bus system operates on those days, SCAT will too,” Shinnick explained.Suffolk County Legislator Jay Schneiderman, who sponsored Resolution 253-2010, said that while he would prefer to keep fares as they are, the addition of Sunday service is worth the proposed increase. He added that the transportation costs would remain far lower than the price of a taxi that many customers pay for as an alternative to Sunday service.
“For the past seven years, I have been urging the County to add the needed service on Sundays and searching for ways to pay for it without increasing rates. Unfortunately, Federal and State subsidies are not available and I believe a small rate increase would allow the County to implement Sunday bus service,” said Schneiderman, who chairs the legislature’s Public Works and Transportation Committee.Schneiderman also pointed out that SCT fares have remained the same for the past 16 years.
“It is my hope that only minor increases in the order of 25 to 50 cents on the regular fare are all that is necessary to fund Sunday service and that there would be no increases in senior fares, disabled, SCAT and any other discounted fare program for those with limited financial means,” Schneiderman said.
The County held two public hearings on the proposal in June, and public comments are being reviewed, Shinnick said.“A lot of people did express concerns about the increased fares, particularly as it relates to SCAT service,” he said.
The next step is for the SCT to put together a report of recommendations by the end of September that will be forwarded to the County legislature and executive, Shinnick said. The final decision will depend on the 2011 County budget process, which will finish by the end of the year.This article was published in the August issue of Able News.
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