Capital Metro approved increasing its bus and rail fares Sept. 23 for the first time since 2010, but added an amendment that would delay fare increases for MetroAccess—its service for people with disabilities—until 2015.

Local bus fare would remain at $1 for 2014 but increase to $1.25 in 2015. The premium service fare, which includes the new MetroRapid service that launches in early 2014 and flyer routes, would be $1.50.

MetroRail and MetroExpress bus fare would be $2.75 in 2014 and $3.50 in 2015. This change reflects the agency dropping its zone pricing on MetroRail. Currently, riders pay $1 to travel in one zone or $2.75 for all zones.

Customers will also see increase in the one-, seven- and 31-day passes for most services. Initially, the agency had proposed to eliminate the reduced day and monthly passes but instead kept them, an action that thrilled consumer advocate Bill Oakey.

He said board member and City Councilman Chris Riley and Andy Martinez, who works for board Chairman and City Councilman Mike Martinez, met with him to discuss his concerns about eliminating those passes. The reduced weekly pass will be eliminated, but Oakey said the daily pass still allows seniors who use the reduced passes to have flexibility.

"Everybody worked together to get this done," Oakey said.

Resident Paul Hunt spoke in favor of the fare increases, although he said the board should consider the economic impact of the fare increases and ensure the public transit system is viable.

"[The board] has got to make Metro work as a business," he said. "I support the fare increase. They're trying to bring the fares up to where they should be."

Capital Metro's base fare was 50 cents from 1985 through 2008 and increased to 75 cents in 2009 and to $1 in 2010. It is still one of the lowest fares in the nation, according to the agency. In 2011, Capital Metro began charging half-priced fares for seniors and people with disabilities.

Several residents spoke out against proposed fare increases to MetroAccess, the agency's demand-response, shared-ride service for people whose disabilities do not enable them to use the fixed route service.

Robin Orlowski, who does not need to use MetroAccess but has to use the fixed-route service because she cannot drive, said the fare proposal is unrealistic and not reasonable for people with disabilities.

Carlos Aleman said the arguments Capital Metro has made for fare increases—including that the agency had not raised fares for quite some time and needed to catch up—do not resonate with him.

"To raise fares on the group of people who can afford it the least, people with the least options, people who need service the most and experienced increased fares over the last few years and are hit the hardest, is not fair," he said.

Board member John Langmore proposed an amendment to the fare restructure to implement proposed 2014 changes to MetroAccess in 2015 instead. That amendment passed on a vote of 4-3, with board members David Siebold, Riley and Martinez voting no. The agency had already revised its original fare proposal for MetroAccess to cut increases in half.

An amendment to remove reduced day passes for the premium and commuter service failed on a vote of 4-3.

Also part of the fare restructure, the board approved adding $100,000 to the agency's Basic Transportation Needs Fund, a nonprofit that provides transit passes to other nonprofit organizations to give out to their clients who need transit assistance.

Dan Pruett, president and CEO of Meals on Wheels and More and chairman of the BTNF committee, said the BTNF has helped tremendously to provide passes to students and low-income residents. He said the fund has helped distribute 54,003 passes to 50 local nonprofits, which resulted in more than 500,000 rides in the first 16 months of the program.

"I appreciate your commitment to helping this fund to distribute passes to people who are in desperate need, and that is a top priority for us," he said.

For the full list of changes, visit www.capmetro.org/farechange.