DOWNTOWN : Group to Protest Bus Fare Hike Plan
A community group is planning a rally Saturday outside the Hall of Administration to protest the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s proposed hike in bus fares and cutbacks in service.
The demonstration outside 500 W. Temple St. is scheduled for 9:15 a.m., about an hour before the MTA board is expected to meet, said Lisa Duran, an organizer for the Labor/Community Watchdog organization.
“What we’re planning is to have a coffin to represent the demise of the bus system,” Duran said.
The Labor/Community Watchdog organization of union and non-union officials and residents wants the MTA to stop all future Metro Rail construction and instead pour its resources into the bus system.
MTA officials insist that service cutbacks and a 25-cent increase in the bus fare, from $1.10 to $1.35, are necessary to meet a $126-million shortfall in a proposed $647.4-million operating budget.
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