Subway, bus fares doubling?

The L.A. Daily News reports:

Bus and subway fares for most riders would more than double by 2009 under a plan unveiled Friday by MTA officials, who are struggling to close a stubborn budget gap.

The two-tier plan would bump up the cost of daily, weekly and monthly passes in July and again in January 2009. Individual fares would jump only once, in 2009, for passengers who pay cash for a one-way trip.

The proposal comes as the Metropolitan Transportation Authority considers cutting some bus routes and streamlining others. CEO Roger Snoble said the agency simply can't pay rising fuel costs and eliminate a looming $1.8 billion deficit by fare increases alone.

"We are heading toward a cliff," Snoble said in an interview. "And if we don't do something, we will fall off that cliff."

Great moments in public transportation.