OAKLAND — With a dwindling number of passengers taking the train during off-peak hours, BART’s governing board on Thursday will consider whether to begin surveying riders about a potential 25-cent fare increase, along with reductions in the discounts offered to seniors, youth and people with disabilities.

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Man’s excursion onto BART tracks ends in arrest The move comes as satisfaction at BART is at a 20-year low with riders complaining about everything from the screeching sound of train wheels to chronic overcrowding during the morning and evening commute. Coupled with slowing sales tax revenue and state assistance lower than expected, BART anticipates it will need to drum up an additional $25 million to $35 million to cover its costs in the coming fiscal year.

BART board director Lateefah Simon called the fare increases a “last resort,” but one that the board will consider in order to close out budget gaps.

“BART is facing some very difficult decisions,” she said. “The financial reality is that BART is too expensive for many riders, and at the same time, I know that a fare increase may be what’s needed to keep our system moving.”

Public outreach is required under federal law before BART’s board can approve the fare hike. Staff on Thursday will present a suite of potential changes, including increasing the minimum fare from $1.95 to $2.25 (the amount includes a 5-cent fare increase based on biennial CPI adjustments); reducing discounts for seniors, youth aged five through 12 and people with disabilities from 62.5 percent to 50 percent; applying a surcharge to paper tickets; and extending the youth discount to include youth between the ages of 12 and 18.

With all the options in place, BART staff anticipates it could raise between $10.8 million and $20.7 million, depending on the size of the surcharge for paper tickets.

Reducing the discounts will have a disproportionate impact on minority and low-income youth, as well as low-income riders with disabilities, BART’s analysis found. And charging more for paper tickets will hit low-income customers the most. Under BART’s policies, the agency must seek out ways to minimize or avoid disparate impacts from changes to fares or service.

In addition to cutting certain staff positions and slashing other non-employee expenses, BART is considering starting service at 5 a.m., instead of 4 a.m., and reducing service on the Richmond and Fremont lines. BART staff will also seek approval to start selling wrap-around ads on trains and large-scale ads in stations, which could generate between $1.75 million and $9.47 million over the next three years, according to BART’s ad vendor, Intersection Media, LLC.