San Diego transit boards propose fare hikes

San Diego County’s two main transit boards have endorsed the first major fare increase since 2009, sending the plan to SANDAG for final approval. (kpbs.org) (sdmts.com) The Metropolitan Transit System and North County Transit District voted on April 16 to recommend the changes, and SANDAG’s Transportation Committee is expected to take up the fare ordinance in May and June. (sdmts.com) (kpbs.org) If SANDAG approves the plan, the standard one-way fare on buses, trolleys and the Sprinter would rise from $2.50 to $3 this fall and to $3.25 in fall 2027. Discounted senior, disabled and Medicare fares would rise from $1.25 to $1.50. (kpbs.org) (10news.com) Monthly adult passes for MTS and NCTD would increase from $72 to $85 this year and to $95 in 2027, while discounted monthly passes would move from $23 to $28 and then $30. NCTD’s COASTER would also switch from zone-based pricing to a flat fare. (sdmts.com) (kpbs.org) Under that COASTER change, a one-way adult fare would become $6.50 systemwide, matching today’s Zone 3 price, and a monthly COASTER pass would rise to $185 for adults and $60 for discounted riders. (sdmts.com) The agencies said the increases are part of a broader effort to delay a fiscal cliff tied to rising labor costs, higher operating expenses, flat sales-tax revenue and limited local funding. (sdmts.com) (nbcsandiego.com) MTS told KPBS fare revenue currently makes up 17% of its fiscal 2026 operating budget, or about $81 million of a $470 million budget, and the proposal would bring in roughly $9 million to $14 million more each year. (kpbs.org) Transit advocates and some riders backed higher fares over service cuts. Circulate Planning & Policy’s Aria Grossman told KPBS that cutting service can trigger a “doom loop” of lower ridership and lower fare revenue. (kpbs.org) SANDAG, not the transit operators, controls the region’s Comprehensive Fare Ordinance, which sets the framework for fares used by MTS and NCTD through the PRONTO system. Any increase requires a public hearing and a Transportation Committee vote to amend that ordinance. (sandag.org 1) (sandag.org 2) If the committee signs off this spring, San Diego riders would start paying more by fall — the first broad transit fare hike in the region in 17 years. (sdmts.com) (kpbs.org)