The Capital District Transportation Authority last week approved a 50 percent increase to its basic bus fare, which will be effective April 1. The move -- along with increases in other fares -- is intended to help the authority plug a $5.2 million gap in next year's budget, according to the Daily Gazette.

Northway Xpress ridership jumped 30 percent in 2008, even after gas prices fell.The basic bus fare will rise from $1 to $1.50. Commuters who prepay their fare on the Northway Xpress buses between Saratoga County and Albany will also have a 25 percent fare hike. The Northway Xpress has seen ridership grow by 30 percent this year, even after gas prices dropped in the fall.

Users of the STAR service for disabled riders will see an increase from $2 to $2.50 per trip. Rates for long-term parking at the Rensselaer train station will also rise by $2 per day.

A petition signed by 800 people asked the board not to impose the increase, which petitioners said would hit low-income public transit users. But CDTA officials countered that their biggest problem is that federal and state aid and other sources of revenue are flat or declining.

As part of our soon-to-be-released 2009 State Policy Agenda, NYLCV is calling on the state to fund mass transit projects and studies in all urban areas of the state, including the Capital District.