The Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council board will discuss increasing some of its Cascade East Transit bus fares at its meeting Thursday.

According the council’s agenda, as part of a master plan process a committee conducted a study on fares and has developed rate change recommendations. COIC staff looked at other transit systems around Oregon and compared fare types.

The group announced last year that it would cut some of Cascade East Transit’s routes to save money. The cuts did not affect bus routes in Bend, which is budgeted separately.

Among the proposed rate changes are a 50-cent increase to $2 for a single trip on the Bend fixed-route buses. Day passes would increase to $3.50, and month passes would increase to $50. Discount passes would also increase. The committee is also recommending changes to the long-distance shuttles that take riders throughout the tri-county area. Currently riding a long-distance shuttle costs $3.75 no matter how far a person travels. Under the proposed changes, the cost would depend on the distance traveled.

A proposed fare map indicates the system would charge $2.50 for short trips between Bend and Deschutes River Woods, between Madras, Metolius and Culver, and between Powell Butte and Redmond and Powell Butte and Prineville. Trips between Redmond and Sisters, Redmond and Bend and Redmond and Prineville would cost $3.75. And long trips between Bend and La Pine and Redmond and Madras would cost $5.

The committee suggests eliminating a month pass and a big increase in cost on a day pass, from $6.25 to $15.

Under the proposal, Dial-A-Ride and paratransit services would also see fare increases.

After the fare increases are discussed at Thursday’s meeting, the draft policy will have a feedback period in June, and a final fare proposal will be presented to the COIC board at its July 11 meeting.