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Rolling Back: Metro Considering Temporary $5 Pricing for Day Passes

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Photo by TooMuchFire via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr

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If the high price of filling up your tank is keeping you from going places in your car, Metro's CEO, Art Leahy, has a proposal for you. The transit agency is considering knocking a buck off the price of their Day Pass, bringing the price for a full day's worth of rides to $5. The decrease would go into effect July 1, and last six months, according to The Source.Cutting the price would cost Metro an estimated $6 million annually, says The Source, however the agency expects to make up for that via increased ridership.

Gas prices are already soaring towards $4 a gallon on average nationwide, though for many in California, the pain at the pump is already inching past the $4 mark. Predictions from around the country indicate experts believe those prices could soar to $4.50 or even $5 a gallon as early as Memorial Day this year. Metro is hoping L.A.'s drivers would opt to take advantage of a day of unlimited rides for about the same cost as a gallon of gas could be this summer.

The Source explains that lowering the fare to $5 "would not require public hearings but does need the approval of two-thirds of the Metro Board of Directors. The Board will likely consider the issue at their May meeting."

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