By Bill Raack, KWMU
St. Louis, MO. – Another fare increase may be looming for Metro buses and trains in the St. Louis area.
The public transit agency's board of commissioners has approved an operating budget for the next fiscal year that totals $178 million. That's five percent higher than this year.
Metro spokeswoman Diane Williams says rising fuel prices could force the agency to raise bus and train fares.
"There have not been decisions on where or how much. That's now where that math needs to happen. People need to look at and we're chasing, in some ways, a moving target because we don't know where fuel is going to go."
Metro recently admitted that its eight-mile cross-county light rail extension is between $96 and $126 million over budget. That money comes from the agency's capital budget.