LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – It’s been another big year for public transit in Lake County.
With the economy making public transit a more affordable and reliable option for many community members, Lake Transit Authority is continuing to see a growing demand for its services.
Transit General Manager Mark Wall said the 2010-11 fiscal year was a record year for ridership, with 326,000 passengers.
The 2011-12 fiscal year promises to be bigger. Wall said they’ve seen a 25-percent increase, and are projecting that by the fiscal year’s end they will have had 400,000 passengers.
Wall said that is comparable to neighboring Mendocino County’s transit agency, which has 400,000 passengers a year and a population of more than 100,000 people, compared to Lake County’s 65,000 residents.
Lake Transit’s Route 1, which runs from Clearlake to Lakeport along the Northshore, is the busiest, having carried 86,000 passengers in the last fiscal year. It also runs the longest hours and brings in the most revenue, according to Lake Transit statistics.
The other routes include Route 2, Kit’s Corner to Middletown; Route 3, Clearlake to Deer Park; Route 4, Clearlake to Lakeport; Route 4A, Kit’s Corner to Lakeport; Route 5, Clearlake city north loop; Route 6, Clearlake city south loop; and Route 7, Lakeport/Ukiah.
According to Lake Transit statistics, Route 5 is in second place for ridership, followed by Route 6.
While Lake Transit would like to add services and routes, Wall said they don’t have the revenue to do it.
He said the transit system is funded by a number of sources. Passenger fares constitute 25 percent, while the rest comes from state funds and federal grants.
This fall, Lake Transit Authority received $309,288 in state transportation bond funds to purchase five replacement buses, as Lake County News has reported.
Lake Transit has avoided the kinds of cuts other transit agencies have experienced, said Wall. The only cut that’s planned is the elimination of a 6:30 a.m. Saturday-only run from Clearlake to Lucerne, and the 7:17 a.m. return from Lucerne to Clearlake.
In light of the economy, “We’re pretty much where we can be with operations,” according to Wall.
Wall said the new year will see fare increases, which go into effect Jan. 2.
Among the changes, local bus fare will go from $1 to $1.25 for the general public, and from $.50 to $.75 for seniors and disabled riders, Wall said.
That local fare covers “local areas,” which Lake Transit designates as Clearlake, including Glenhaven, Clearlake Oaks and Lower Lake; Lakeport, including north Lakeport and Kelseyville; Lucerne, including Nice, Upper Lake and Blue Lakes; Middletown, including Twin Lakes, Hidden Valley, Cobb and Loch Lomond; and the Rivieras, including Buckingham, Soda Bay, Riviera West and Clearlake Riviera.
Regional bus fare, which covers a trip through two or more of those local areas, will stay at $2.25 for the general public, but will rise from $1.50 to $2.25 for Lake Transit’s senior and disabled riders, Wall said.
Out-of-county fare for trips to destinations including Calistoga, St. Helena, Deer Park and Ukiah will increase from $3.50 to $5 for all riders, and monthly passes – which offer unlimited ridership – will increase from $35 to $40.
Other changes riders will see include the rerouting of eastbound service in Lucerne from Country Club Drive to Highway 20, a move based on a traffic calming study. The transit agency said the change is meant to improve bus schedules and travel times.
Community members also should notice the new bus shelters and benches along the routes, along with increased wheelchair accessibility.
Wall said the transit authority has raised $500,000 in grant funding over the last several years that is helping fund those shelters and benches. They’ve also partnered with Konocti Unified School District to have students install the structures.
Lake Transit will be closed on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, Wall said.
For more about routes and schedules, visit www.laketransit.org.
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