An outside study of the fare structure for the Bangor area bus system is recommending that the city raise the cost of riding and add new ticketing options.
The cost of a single ride would increase from $1.50 to $2, and the cost of a half fare, which is available to senior citizens and people with disabilities, would increase from 75 cents to $1.
If the recommendation is adopted by the city, it would follow a series of significant cuts to bus service, including the suspension of Saturday service, as the city has struggled to retain bus drivers and get ridership back to pre-pandemic levels.
The Community Connector system has not raised fares since 2014.
The study, conducted by Washington, D.C.-based firm Foursquare Integrated Transportation Planning, found that fare revenue covers only 12% of operating expenses for the transit system, compared with 20% in 2019, according to a presentation given to city councilors at a Monday committee meeting.
Project manager Reinaldo Germano said his team’s survey of riders found that many of them would be open to paying more if the city offered longer hours and more frequent bus service.
“I would easily pay $2.50 for a ride [for] the ability to pay via credit card, and I would need longer bus hours,” one survey respondent said, according to the presentation.
The study also proposed two new payment methods: a mobile ticketing app that would allow riders to pay on their phones, and a smart card that they could reload online or in person. The transit system would also phase out paper tickets and transfer slips.
Riders would still be able to pay in cash, although they would need to get the app or smart card in order to get free transfers. Feedback from the public indicated that riders felt strongly about maintaining a cash option, Germano said, since not everyone has access to a phone.
The study also proposed eliminating the five-ride pass and replacing monthly passes with fare capping, which would make rides free after someone hits a certain number of rides in a month. This system would have similar benefits to monthly passes but would not require riders to pay everything up front at the beginning of the month, Germano said.
The study was funded through the Bangor Area Comprehensive Transportation System, a federally designated transportation planning organization, according to Assistant City Manager Courtney O’Donnell.
Although some people might stop riding the bus due to a price hike, Germano said his team projected ridership would eventually grow as a result of the changes, as would revenue.
Germano said he expects that the new fares and payment options could be rolled out in late 2026 or early 2027.
Although the bus system serves multiple towns in the Bangor area, it is operated by the city of Bangor. The fare changes would require City Council approval.
The City Council did not take any action on the recommendations Monday and planned to discuss the bus system further in future meetings.
City Councilor Joe Leonard noted that he thinks the city should make bus rides free in order to bolster ridership and the local economy.