SANDAG committee approves MTS, NCTD fare increases

On Friday morning, the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) Transportation Committee approved an amendment to the Regional Comprehensive Fare Ordinance, the document that governs MTS and North County Transit-San Diego Railroad (NCTD) fares. The amendment, which was prepared following months of public outreach, will raise the adult one-way fare to $3 on October 1st, 2026, and is planned to raise the adult one-way fare again to $3.25 on October 1st, 2027. The Transportation Committee also directed MTS and NCTD to create a low-income fare discount program, and collection of Youth fares will remain suspended as part of the grant-funded Youth Opportunity Pass program. The best-fare (‘fare capping’) and open payment programs will be unaffected. The amendment now heads to the full SANDAG board for a vote on July 24th.

The amendment also includes small increases to Senior, Disabled, and Medicare (S/D/M) fares, to their maximum of half the adult one-way fare. The Premium (which includes FLEX and Rapid Express 280/290) and Rural fares will increase from $5 to $6 and $8 to $10, respectively. The maximum COASTER fare will not be raised, but the zone fare system will be replaced with a $6.50 flat fare. The cost for an adult monthly pass will rise to $85. The amendment also includes a cleanup of language related to discontinued services and to accommodate the introduction of open loop payment, and other small changes such as replacing “North County Transit District” with “North County Transit-San Diego Railroad.” The approved amendment with changes redlined can be viewed here.

This fare increase comes as both agencies are battling a budget crisis that could lead to severe cuts. While the fare increase will not eliminate either agency’s structural deficit, it is estimated to result in approximately $9 million in annual revenue for MTS, and $650 thousand for NCTD, despite slight projected decreases in ridership. The October 2027 fare increases are expected to raise this figure to $14.2 million for MTS and $1.2 million for NCTD. Some transit advocacy organizations, like Circulate Planning & Policy, have been supportive of the fare increase, while others have held a more ambivalent stance.

The fare increase also comes as MTS marks 140 years of public transit in San Diego, and as NCTD marks 50 years of BREEZE bus operations.