SamTrans has called a community meeting in Menlo Park on Wednesday (July 29) to hear comment on its plans to cut bus service and hike fares.

The meeting starts at 6 p.m. at the Menlo Park City Council chambers in the Civic Center complex, between Laurel and Alma streets.

Among local bus routes that could be eliminated or modified are FX, KX, RX and 390, with stops in Atherton and Menlo Park; and 270, 280, 281 and 285, with stops in Menlo Park.

SamTrans is considering increasing the adult bus fare by 25 cents, and all other fares by a corresponding amount.

It is also weighing a number of cuts that would affect primarily disabled riders: increasing fares by 75 cents for the paratransit program, through which SamTrans provides door-to-door van and taxi services for the disabled; reducing paratransit service hours; and eliminating the 15 percent discount on SamTrans passes with the purchase of a Muni sticker, for people with disabilities.

The transit district faces a $28.4 million shortfall for the current fiscal year, according to SamTrans spokesperson Christine Dunn. Over the past fiscal year, more than $11 million in state funds, or about 22 percent of the operating budget, have been slashed from the budget, she said in a news release.

SamTrans has implemented a number of cost-cutting measures, such as a fuel-hedging program that will set a cap on the price of diesel fuel. The agency is undergoing an extensive reorganization, with layoffs likely this fall, she said.

SamTrans also will hold a community meeting at its headquarters at 1250 San Carlos Ave. in San Carlos at 6 p.m. Tuesday, July 28.

Comments will be accepted until an Aug. 12 public hearing to be conducted by the SamTrans board, Ms. Dunn said.

People may submit comments at the community meetings or at the Aug. 12 public hearing. They also can comment by sending an e-mail to [email protected]; or by writing: District Secretary, SamTrans, P.O. Box 3006, San Carlos, CA 94070.

For more information, check the SamTrans Web site.