County To Get Second Reading On Transit Hikes

By Tom Harlan
An ordinance that would increase Miami-Dade Transit fares is to have a second reading at Tuesday’s county commission meeting after it was modified by the transportation committee and county attorney.

The ordinance as adopted at a first reading March 1 called for an increase in fares to provide about $30 million in additional revenues to operate the transit system, including Metrobus, Metrorail and Metromover, through 2006.

Changes by the transportation committee and county lawyer decreased the estimated revenue to about $25.4 million.

The item was forwarded to a March 10 regional transportation committee public meeting, where recommendations were added to reduce the proposed base fare from $1.60 to $1.50 and keep a special transportation-services fee at $2.50.

The county attorney’s office made additional adjustments, according to a March 28 memo, to comply with a federal transit administration rule on reduced fares that says rates charged to elderly and handicapped persons cannot exceed one-half the normal rate at peak hours.

The recommendation called for a reduced fare of 80 cents to be trimmed to 75 cents to comply with the regulation. The impact of the revision is about $300,000 for the 17 months outlined in the ordinance.