THE MASS Transit Administration will have to raise fares or cut services to meet the state's excessively stringent demands. Either move would be a mistake.

A fare increase for buses, light rail and the Metro would chase customers away and make it far more expensive to ride mass transit in Baltimore than in Washington and most other cities.

A reduction in service would steer MTA away from its goal of connecting commuters to new communities and workers to emerging employment centers. A service cut would create a public transportation system with more gaps, longer waits and shorter hours. This is unacceptable.

However, one or both of those changes are certain if state legislators don't repeal a law requiring MTA to recover half its operating costs from fare-box revenue. The mandate, one of the strictest in the country, is not needed to deliver the fiscal accountability that it sought to impose.

Technically, MTA already is in violation of the 50-percent fare-box mandate. Fares from customers have generated only 46 to 48 percent of the administration's revenue in the past few years.

Of course, MTA must look for economies where it can -- though its budget has risen less than inflation over the past several years. Administrator Ron Freeland says he is exploring a number of cost cuts, including expenses for road bed and rail insurance, the pension fund and workers compensation. He also hopes to streamline the inventory and procurement system.

Legislators must revisit the fare-box issue when they convene after the session to discuss the state's Transportation Trust Fund. Loosening or abandoning the mandate would help the system grow to meet the region's needs.

Pub Date: 3/22/99