| Issue 3 | September 21, 1994 |
Injunction Against Los Angeles Bus Fare Hike
A federal judge issued a temporary restraining order blocking a 25-cent bus fare increase in Los Angeles on Sept. 1. The order also required L.A.'s MTA to continue selling discount monthly bus passes that were to be eliminated as part of the fare hike. The class-action lawsuit which produced the ruling was filed by the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund on behalf of the Labor/Community Strategy Center and others. It accused the MTA of "inflicting severe and irreparable harm" on bus riders -- most of whom rely completely on public transit. It alleges that the agency intentionally funneled money to suburban rail projects at the expense of inner-city bus passengers. By favoring rail projects that serve primarily affluent white customers, the MTA operates a "separate and unequal system of public transportation," in violation of the Constitution and the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the suit argued. "What we showed today is that transit is a human right; it's essential to living in this city," said Eric Mann, director of the Labor/Community Strategy Center, the lead plaintiff in the case. (L.A. Times)
