CORRECTED:
The cost of a monthly bus pass from the Piedmont Authority for Regional Transportation will increase from $50 to $60 beginning Jan. 1.
PART's board of trustees voted yesterday at its monthly meeting to approve the rate increase to offset rising fuel costs.
Brent McKinney, the executive director of PART, said that the agency spends $5,000 a day on fuel for its fleet of buses. PART pays extra at the pump for a special type of fuel known as ultra-low sulfur diesel, which emits fewer pollutants into the air than regular highway-use diesel.
"We pay a premium for the fuel, and that has driven up our costs even higher," McKinney said. "We think $10 a month is a modest increase for the service we provide. We have always provided a low-cost alternative to private automobiles, and we want to continue to do that."
A gallon of ultra-low sulfur diesel costs about $4, up from about $2.30 last year, he said.
The price increase for the monthly pass is the first since 2002.
The cost of a monthly pass for senior citizens, students and disabled people will increase from $20 to $30, the board also decided.
The fare for a one-way ride for people without monthly passes will remain $2.
The increase comes at a time when more people are using PART, which has express routes in several counties, including Forsyth, Guilford, Davidson, Surry and Randolph.
In September, PART served 56,791 passengers, who traveled an average of 26 miles each way, which is a 123 percent increase in riders compared with September 2007, McKinney said. Some of that jump in ridership can be attributed to the addition of new express routes that serve Davidson and Randolph counties.
Ridership in September was up 10.8 percent from August.
McKinney said that with gasoline prices hovering near $3.70, a $60 monthly pass remains a bargain.
"Sixty dollars a month equates to one tank of gas, and most of our folks are saving eight to nine tanks per month, so I still think it's a low-cost alternative," he said.
The board also voted to proceed with the purchase of a new park-and-ride lot in Mount Airy. For the last two years, riders have used a lot at Mount Airy Plaza. The lot became too crowded, however, and riders were moved to a temporary lot.
The new 5-acre lot is at the intersection of U.S. 52 and Carter Street. If the sale is completed, the lot will be ready by early spring.
The purchase price for the property is $150,000.
In other PART news, an express route serving the King and Rural Hall area will begin Monday, and an an express route in Yadkin County, serving the U.S. 421 corridor from its intersection with Interstate 77 to Winston-Salem.*
■ Lisa O'Donnell can be reached at 727-7420 or at lo'donnell@wsjournal.com.
*This story was corrected to reflect the proper start dates of bus service to Stokes and Yadkin counties.
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