L.A. to Poor: Take a Hike

Each day, some 500,000 Los Angeles residents climb aboard city buses to get to work, to school, or to the hospital; the median household income of those riders is just $12,000 a year. Over the next several years, bus fares are due to increase considerably, and the popular one-day pass will double in price, from $3 to $6. National transportation surveys show that for every 10 percent increase in fares, ridership drops by 4 percent. As ridership decreases, people are forced into cars, clogging city streets and increasing vehicle emissions, which contribute not only to asthma and other respiratory illnesses, but also to global warming. In April, just before the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority was about to approve the fare hikes, the local Bus Riders Union approached NRDC for help. The MTA had not conducted an environmental impact statement before approving the fare increases, a failure that prompted NRDC to sue the authority for violation of the California Environmental Quality Act. The case is due to be heard in Los Angeles County Superior Court this winter.  -- Laura Wright