DeKalb Times

The DeKalb City Council discussed its current transit fare prices during its Jan. 23 meeting, and City Manager Bill Nicklas said the city would not recommend a rate increase for the first time since 2019.

"I'm just going to cut to the quick here," Nicklas said during the meeting. "We're not recommending any increase in the fares. We like to continue the fare level as it is. We feel it's adequate it is never going to be a major part of our revenue and the transit system that we have. But it does provide some funds that could be used for, you know, consultancies for the occasional vehicle or something like that. It's not going to buy a bus for us, but we feel it's still important. It's the best deal around as you've seen in the past."

The city paused transit fares during the COVID-19 pandemic to provide some economic relief for citizens. In 2022, the council voted to reinstate fees at the level they had been before the pandemic before the issue was raised again during the council meeting.

Nicklas said that in the six months since the reinstatement of fees, the city has collected the same amount of revenue as it used to collect in a year. They collected almost $67,000 in the second half of 2022 and expect to collect close to $143,000 this year. That was partly the reason Nicklas didn't suggest an increase.

The money the city collects from transit fees is not a significant portion of its budget, officials added. Although it may pay for the odd vehicle repair, small maintenance project or traffic study, it isn't enough to replace buses. 

In effect, raising fees would could the city money, as council member Tracy Smith pointed out, because the amount of grant funding the city receives from state and federal sources would likely decrease to match the revenue increase. Transit fees are 50 cents for residents, 25 cents for seniors or K-12 students with an ID and free for University students as they pay for a pass as part of their tuition.

The council voted to freeze fare prices until at least 2025, when it will re-examine the city's revenues.