Drivers Face New Rate Hike on 91 Toll Lanes

The beleaguered operators of the 91 Express Lanes will raise tolls on the private road this month, marking the fifth such increase since the lanes opened a little more than four years ago.

The money-losing lanes have been the focus of scrutiny since the failed attempt late last year to sell the road to a nonprofit group of businessmen. The deal was harshly criticized by some local politicians, who said the owners’ estimated $90-million profit was too high.

The toll lanes’ operator said Tuesday that the hike is needed to relieve congestion during rush hours--particularly the eastbound afternoon commute--but critics say the increase is a thinly veiled attempt to raise revenue on a road that is millions of dollars short of meeting expenses.

The latest fare increase, the first since January 1999, comes even as the lanes’ operator has said the road is still for sale. The 10-mile stretch of toll lanes that run in the median of the Riverside Freeway between the border of Riverside and Orange counties and the Costa Mesa Freeway is one of the nation’s most expensive commutes per mile.

“They’re looking at this from a sheer profit standpoint, which is not the way our freeways and roads should be treated,” said Riverside County Supervisor Bob Buster, one of the most vocal critics of the private road.

Buster and other local lawmakers who have been pushing for a public buyout of the lanes said Tuesday that the latest fare increase underscores the need for the road to be removed from private hands.

“There is definitely an incentive now,” said Assemblyman Rod Pacheco (R-Corona) of a bill he introduced last month to buy the toll lanes.

The fare hikes--ranging from 5 cents to 40 cents--are scheduled to begin March 26. The steepest price--$3.75--will be paid by motorists heading into Riverside County on Friday afternoons, up from the current high of $3.50.

The biggest price jump--from $1.60 to $2--will be paid by drivers heading east between 1 and 2 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday. Unchanged will be the 75-cent off-peak fare, as well as the rates during several less-traveled time periods.

Increase Seen as a Way to Cut Congestion

Greg Hulsizer, general manager of California Private Transportation Co., which controls the lanes, said the decision to raise fares at peak times came because of heavy congestion during rush hours.

“We need to guarantee our customers a congestion-free commute,” Hulsizer said. “We are making those peak period adjustments in hope that some of our customers will go a little bit earlier or a little bit later.

“Our focus is on building a profitable business,” he said.

The 91 Express Lanes use “congestion pricing”--which boosts the rates when traffic is heaviest. The system has been much praised in the transportation community and cited as a model for other road projects worldwide. Orange County toll road officials hope to implement a similar system on the struggling San Joaquin Hills toll road to increase revenue.

Hulsizer cited a 16% increase in eastbound traffic on Friday afternoons as one of the motivators for raising fares during those hours. But others who have driven the roads or reviewed ridership figures released during the attempted sale say they have a hard time believing too much traffic caused the latest fare increase.

“When they have less than 10% of total traffic using the toll road already, that explanation rings a little hollow,” Buster said.

In any case, some critics of the road say any rate increase hurts commuters who are unable or unwilling to pay the tolls.

“Every time they jack up the tolls, it just dumps more people onto the 91 Freeway. And that’s unfair,” said attorney Richard D. Ackerman, who has sued the toll road operators over the situation.

Ridership figures on the road have been closely guarded by the company. However, figures released during the attempted sale show the road struggled last year. For instance, traffic dropped 29% in the months after the Eastern Toll Road opened in October 1998.

The toll road was nearly $2 million short last year of meeting its construction debt. Those debt payments, which are about $12 million a year, will accelerate in 2005 to $20 million a year, according to financial documents filed with the state.

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Higher Rates

For the fifth time in four years, the 91 Express Lanes tolls will rise. Eastbound travelers on Friday afternoon will face the highest fare: $3.75. The new fares:

Source: 91 Expresss Lanes