The AC Transit board of directors is considering cutting bus service by 15 percent or more because of ongoing budget problems, according to the Contra Costa Times. The planned cut comes on top of the agency’s decision earlier this year to raise the basic fare 14 percent – from $1.75 to $2.00, making AC Transit one of the most expensive bus rides in the Bay Area. The cuts also come after East Bay voters approved a measure last November to tax themselves about $15 million annually to help offset the agency’s financial problems. AC Transit officials promised voters at the time that the ballot measure would allow the agency to avoid a fare increase and service cuts. So much for campaign promises. The agency blames its budget problems now on a decline in state revenues, lower sales tax receipts, and rising employee salary and benefit costs. The agency, however, continues to defend its extensive and often unnecessary purchases of expensive Belgian buses.
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