Lincoln’s bus riders can likely expect their bus fares to increase when the city adopts its new short-range transportation plan, which the City Council approved Tuesday night.

Currently, the price of a bus fare is 75 cents and the price of a Dial-a-Ride trip is $2.

According to Jim Moore of the Moore and Associates consulting firm, which prepared the Short Range Transit Plan Final Report, the bus price could rise to anywhere from $1 to $1.85.

The report determined that the average price paid for fares, when Dial-a-Ride and bus fares are calculated, is $1.85.

The report, according to Mayor Spencer Short, was done to evaluate the city’s needs as it grows to ensure residents are provided the level of service they need.

Although the report was approved Tuesday, it will be several months before any changes will be seen by riders, according to Short.

“We have recommendations to completely redo our transit services or just modify the existing routes,” Short said.

The suggestions in the 258-page report cover a range of options to increase efficiency and cut costs, as well as raise fares.

“We’re taking all this to heart,” Short said. “We’re determined not to let this sit on the shelf.”

The number of residents using the buses has risen recently, said Larry Morse, a bus driver for the city.

“I average about 20 riders a day,” Morse said. “They’d like to see us make the runs more often but that’s hard with only two buses.”

Increasing the frequency of the runs is one of the recommendations in the report.

Currently, the buses operate on 60-minute intervals and the report calls for an eventual implementation of a 30-minute interval schedule, Short said.

Morse said the number of riders might increase if the buses were more frequent.

“I think people are so used to walking in this town that they’d just as soon walk,” Morse said. “They can get there and back, and it’s faster and more convenient.”

Morse added that residents with cars are more apt to drive instead of relying on the buses.

Lincoln resident Michael Berryman does not have a car and said he rides the bus about five times per week. Berryman said he “is happy” with the customer service and the convenience of the buses.

“They never leave you stranded,” Berryman said.

One improvement Berryman said he would like to see is service to more places in Lincoln.

That service may be forthcoming, according to Judy Guiraud, acting chairwoman of the Lincoln Transit Committee.

“We’re trying to serve the areas that riders have said they need more service to,” Guiraud said. “We’ll be going to the Twelve Bridges Library and we recommended expanding the downtown routes to be more efficient.”

The full report is available online at ci.lincoln.ca.us by clicking on the “what’s new” tab.

Brandon Darnell can be reached by e-mail at brandond@goldcountrymedia.com.