AC Transit held a public hearing for the Hayward district this last Thursday.

The meeting was held to distribute information to the public about the new fare structure. As a result of what AC Transit representatives commented as a “confusing system” they have proposed a new system in which the 25 cent transfer rate would be eliminated and replaced with a $5 adult day-pass, similar to the system used by the Los Angeles Metro. The new pass will be valid from the time of the purchase to 3 a.m. the next day.

With the elimination of the transfer rate, riders commuting to and from destinations using two buses for each trip would be required to pay a fee of $5 adult fare for the round trip.

Youth, seniors and the disabled will pay $2.50 for the same pass, a 30-cent increase over the current rate. Currently, riders must pay a $2.10 bus fare plus a 25-cent transfer rate. Adults pay $2.35 per ticket. The new system will eliminate paper transfer passes.

“Under the plan, the traditional paper transfers would be eliminated because the Day-Pass would make them unnecessary,” the press release from AC Transit states. “Local transfers with Clipper would also be eliminated because the Day-Pass would be automatically applied as described above.”

In a room set with an audience of 13 to 15 local community members this change brought questions but little answers. An AC Transit representative said that statistical data related to how many people ride two buses one way every day and the effectiveness of the program will not be available until October 23rd; the same day as the final public hearing held by the AC Transit Board of Directors.

Residents present at the meeting expressed their adamant concerns on increased bus fare. An elderly man claimed the constant changes of AC Transit were excessive, and called it a type of “mental masturbation.”

Outraged by the service provided by AC Transit he commented, “Service level is the same yet the [increasing] of prices don’t justify the raise; you still haven’t gotten it right.”

With this outburst AC Transit representatives commented with, “we are not prepared to talk about service.” AC Transit did not specify what would be done with the increased revenue gained from the bus fare. AC Transit said that, “no fare increases are being proposed. All cash fares would remain the same for both local and Transbay services.”

In addition, AC Transit will implement route changes by the end of this year, converting from less circular routes to more linear ones, which they claim is for the “public convenience.”

A follow-up meeting will be held on Oct. 23 at the AC Transit General Offices in Oakland. If approved, the changes will be implemented by Jul. 1, 2014.