Fare comparison with other rail lines problematic, SMART manager says

How do SMART’s fares compare to other commuter rail systems?

Sonoma Marin Area Rail Transit’s base fare of $3.50 equals the average base fair of 20 commuter rail lines across the nation, according to data from the American Public Transportation Association. The agency’s highest fare of $11.50, however, is almost $2 more than the average highest fare for similar transit systems.

SMART’s highest fare is for travel through all five zones of the rail system. That includes trips from downtown San Rafael to the SMART station just north of Santa Rosa near Airport Boulevard, as well as to future stations planned in Windsor, Healdsburg and Cloverdale.

Sprinter, a rail system that started operating on a 22-mile route across northern San Diego County in 2008, charges a flat $2 one-way rate for adults. The system was funded by a voter-?approved quarter-cent sales tax, like SMART, and it cost $484 million. Sprinter carries 8,300 passengers on an average weekday. The last time Sprinter enacted a fare increase was seven years ago, in 2009.

Sprinter fares are comparable with a bus service that it replaced, according to Ryan Bailey, chief financial officer for the North County Transit District. He said other factors included in the calculation are the interconnectivity of travel patterns between the rail and bus services, and the fact that the rail line is one of the few in the country to operate what are known as Diesel Multiple Units, or DMUs.

“There is not a long-standing history of fares for this type of service for comparison,” Bailey stated in an email.

SMART also is operating DMUs. The slope-nosed cars run in pairs, with the ability to have a third car added in between to increase capacity. Each car has 79 seats, with standing room available for about 80 people. The cars also feature space for bicycles, Wi-Fi service and, in some cases, snack and beverage bars.

Farhad Mansourian, SMART’s general manager, said comparisons between SMART and other rail lines are problematic.

“You take Golden Gate Bridge,” he said. “They have a bridge subsidy. You take Marin Transit. They get property tax. Until you dig into each of those agencies and truly analyze their revenue stream you can’t compare (them).”

SMART directors focused on five Bay Area transit systems for comparisons in setting fares, including BART, Caltrain and Golden Gate Transit. SMART’s base fare of $3.50 is about 40 cents less than the base fare average for those systems.

BART’s base fare is $1.95. But that amount doesn’t reflect the cost for parking or to ride to airports in San Francisco or Oakland, which tack on additional amounts.

Since 2006, BART has raised fares biannually at a rate tied to inflation in the region, minus 0.5 percent. But the agency routinely raises parking fees, sometimes twice a year, according to Pam Herhold, the agency’s manager of financial planning.

She said riders “don’t like that. I think they perceive that we are always raising fees.”

SMART to date has not signaled plans to provide parking, which means riders will have to make do on surface streets or in private or public lots. Many are expected to arrive at train stations via buses and other modes of public transportation. Riders who use Clipper-enabled North Bay Transit systems to get to the train will get a break of between 75 cents and $1.50 on train fares.

You can reach Staff Writer Derek Moore at 521-5336 or derek.moore@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @deadlinederek.