On October 1 Caltrain’s fare changes went into effect. The adult zone fare increased by 25 cents, the price of the Monthly Pass will be based on 14 days instead of 13.25 days, and the monthly parking price has increased from $55 to $82.50.
In addition, the sale of 8-ride tickets were discontinued as of October 1, but will continue to be honored until the end of October.
Unlike most transit systems, Caltrain does not currently receive dedicated funding to support its operations. The cost of operating and maintaining the service has increased due to the challenge of accommodating record-setting ridership demand and maintaining an aging diesel system in a state of good repair.
Without dedicated funding, Caltrain fare revenue covers about 66 percent of its operating costs. Caltrain’s member agencies also contribute to the operating needs of the system, but those contributions have declined in recent years and are not sufficient to support current service. Even with the approved fare increase, Caltrain will need to utilize more than $8 million in reserves to maintain operations in Fiscal Year 2018, and is projected to use another $7 million in Fiscal Year 2019.
Prior to approving the fare changes, Caltrain held six community meetings since May and hosted more than a dozen station outreaches at various stations from San Francisco to San Jose throughout the month of May and June to gather feedback from customers on the proposals. Caltrain staff had nearly 3,000 customer interactions and received more than 1,500 survey responses on the proposed fare changes. The rail agency also hosted a public hearing at its Board of Directors meeting in July and collected comments through mail, email and phone calls.
Caltrain last approved fare changes in 2015.
