The Port Authority Board of Directors approved a 25-cent increase in the base fare – Port Authority’s first fare increase in more than five years.

The fare increase, an expectation of the Pennsylvania Transportation Funding and Reform Commission report issued last November, increases the base fare from $1.75 to $2 on January 1, 2008. It maintains Port Authority’s zone structure and includes commensurate increases in zone fares and all fare instruments.

The new fare represents a 14 percent increase in the base fare enacted on September 1, 2002, or an annualized increase of 2.8 percent. Since then, the cost of gasoline has increased by 123 percent (U.S. Department of Energy), and Port Authority’s diesel costs have grown by 171 percent.

Port Authority weekly and monthly passes, as well as an annual pass subscription, continue to provide significant discounts for customers. A monthly pass holder using Port Authority service to commute to and from work in a typical month (22 weekdays) will save $33 over the cash fare in Zone 3, $24 over the cash fare in Zone 2 and $13 over the cash fare in Zone 1.

Those savings would increase with each additional use; with enrollment in Port Authority’s annual pass program, which includes higher discounts and, through December 7, allows customers to lock in current prices for 12 months; or with the purchase of a monthly pass through Job Perks, the Port Authority program which allows employees to use pre-tax dollars to purchase their passes through their employers.

Thus Port Authority service will continue to be provided at a significantly lower cost than driving. After housing, the American Public Transportation Association points out, transportation is the second highest cost for American families, outpacing both food and healthcare costs. At current local prices of $3.09, a commuter filling a 20-gallon gas tank once a week and parking for $10 per weekday downtown would spend about $487 per month – $397 more than the cost of a monthly Port Authority Zone Two pass that accommodates an unlimited number of rides.

Under the fare changes, transfers remain at 50 cents and valid for three hours. Current Ten Trip Tickets will be accepted as fare payment with a cash drop from January 1 through March 31, 2008. Subsequently, only Ten Trip Tickets purchased at the new price will be accepted. Customers can only exchange full books of current Ten Trip Tickets for full books of new Ten Trip Tickets, along with payment of the price difference, at Port Authority’s Downtown Service Center, 534 Smithfield Street, through March 31, 2008.

Customers who wish more information about Port Authority’s Job Perks program, its annual pass program or have any questions about the new fare structure should contact Port Authority Customer Service at (412) 442-2000 or the TTY number, (412) 231-7007, for the speech and hearing impaired, or visit Port Authority’s Web site, www.portauthority.org.

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