CyRide Regular Fare Would Increase to $1.25 in January

CyRide's fares will increase to make up for part of a $250,000 budget gap.

Board of Trustees member Tom Wacha, also an Ames City Councilman, was absent Monday night, so the vote to recommend the change was 5-0.

The plan includes raising most municipal bus fares by 25 percent, and making $81,000 in internal cuts. Staff also recommended cutting service on three holidays and eliminating the final trip of the day on the Gold route, which the trustees will rule on later. Changes would begin in January, if Ames City Council approves.

“This has the least amount of pain on our existing riders,” said trustee Steve Schainker, who also serves as Ames city manager. He attended a meeting where some people said they would rather pay a little more than have services cut.

Under the new schedule, a paying rider's one-way trip would jump from a $1 to $1.25. Kindergarten- through 12th-grade students, senior citizens, and Medicare and Medicaid recipients would pay 60 cents a trip under the new rate schedule, that's a dime more than most of them pay now.

Medicaid recipients currently pay the full $1 fare, but reduced fares would be extended to them under this plan. ISU students pay for fares through student fees and their share of the rate increase would come from those funds.

The staff recommendation also included eliminating service on holidays including Labor Day, Memorial Day and July 4 and eliminating the last trip of the day on the Gold route.

Those changes, coupled with internal cuts, would make up about $194,000 by the end of June 2012. The service changes will be decided in the future.

Schainker said the recommendation included sacrifices for everyone.

CyRide needs $250,000 because fuel prices and insurance premiums more than anticipated.

Proposals for the next budget year, which begins July 2012, include asking the organizations that fund CyRide — the City of Ames, and the ISU Government of Student Body — to increase their annual contributions by 7 percent, but trustees said they would finalize budget details at future meetings.

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An earlier version of the story made in error in the recommendation that will be made to Ames City Council. Decisions on changing routes will be made at a later date.