American Dream

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San Jose, MERCURY NEWS (requires sign-in)

Proposed fare increase makes VTA average fare per rider rise from one of lowest in country, 62 cents several years ago, to one of highest, 92 cents.

Sales tax receipts inched up in December, the first increase since early 2001. And $80 million in emergency funds that were earmarked to keep buses and trains running have not been spent because the VTA has saved $65 million by making deep budget cuts.

Still, problems remain. VTA fare box returns are among the lowest in the nation, meaning that it is one of the urban transit systems that relies most on public taxes to subsidize its operations. Transit ridership has plummeted -- in part because highway traffic has eased as the valley's economy cooled, but also because of fare increases and budget cuts.

And the VTA's ambitious plan to build more light-rail lines and bring BART to San Jose is facing renewed controversy.

But the change in the VTA's philosophy is noteworthy. For nearly 30 years, transit officials and political leaders in Santa Clara County purposely kept fares low, wanting to entice those riders least able to afford transit fees and draw vehicles off clogged freeways. Critics said these officials thought of VTA as a social services agency, not a transit agency.