Kern Transit Proposes New Fare Structure
Kern Transit is proposing a new fare structure for all of its fixed routes and dial-a-ride services throughout Kern County. A public hearing on the proposal in front of the Kern County Board of Supervisors will be held on Tuesday, June 7 at 2 p.m.
If the Board approves the new fare structure following the public hearing, it would go into effect July 11, 2016.

“The current fare structure is a jumble of fares assembled over the last 30 years,” said Bob Neath, Kern Transit manager. “Some routes have up to 12 different fares, which is confusing for passengers and unwieldy for staff.”

The proposed fare structure would feature just one general fare and one reduced fare for each route. The one exception would be Route 100 (Bakersfield to Lancaster), which would have an additional fare for passengers making the full cross-county trip.

Reduced fares, currently only available on a few routes, would be available on all routes for youth (5-15), seniors (62+) and disabled passengers. The reduced fare would be one-half of the general fare. Also, 31-day passes good for unlimited travel would be available for the first time.

“With the introduction of the 31-day pass and the expansion of the reduced fare program, many riders will actually see their fare decrease under the proposed fare structure,” said Neath.
Kern Transit is offering free transportation to the public hearing via its regularly scheduled routes. Details about this offer and information about the proposed fare structure is available online at Kern Transit’s website, www.kerntransit.org or by calling 661.862.5032.

Kern Transit is the County’s public transportation provider, offering local and intercommunity bus service throughout Kern County and Lancaster. It serves 600,000 passengers annually over 17 fixed routes and six local dial-a-ride vehicles.
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This is part of the June 3, 2016 online edition of The Mountain Enterprise.

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