Austin's main transit agency's board of directors has approved, by a four to one vote, a fare increase in January.

(A link to a copy of Capital Metro's new fare structure is below.)

The Capital Metro board had been prepared in September to ratify a budget in time for the new fiscal year on October 1 which would include federal stimulus money, but at the last second, Board Chair Margaret Gomez added an amendment to the budget that a once-considered August, 2010 fare increase would be hastened to take effect in January.

"As we consider the issue before us, I think we need to be mindful of the fact that the economic situation before us impacts people out there in the community," Board Member and Austin City Councilman Chris Riley said Wednesday.

The fare increase prompted a protracted discussion Wednesday afternoon when board members made it a point to make their opinions on the topic known.

"We're not a social services company, we're a transit company and we need to start acting like one. We provide mobility to those [citizens] at a fair rate," Board Member and Leander Mayor John Cowman said. Cowman insists Leander residents are willing to pay their 'fair share' for the services Capital Metro provides.

"No, we're not a social service agency but we provide service to everybody regardless of their ability to pay and ambulatory abilities as well," Board Chair Gomez rebuked.

The only 'no' vote on the board Wednesday, member Mike Manor, has many reservations about it.

"I just feel like one month after passing a budget, we're into doing something this significant when we don't have the Sunset Commission report which our new board will have which will have a history of finding additional revenues," Manor said.

(Click below to listen to KLBJ's Jarrod Allen's web-exclusive report on this story.)