Metro weighs higher fares and service cuts amid rising costs

State of play: You might've heard Metro already was considering an 11% fare hike, starting next July.

• Metro general manager Randy Clarke now says it could take an even bigger increase to keep up.

• Also on the table are "service cuts that could be pretty significant," Clarke told ABC7, or asking DMV governments to approve more funding — another politically difficult ask.

What they're saying: "You've got to go fairly deep on service cuts to get actual savings," Clarke told ABC7.

• "Cutting trains from like eight minutes to 10 minutes doesn't really save much money at all, so you've got to cut and unfortunately impact people's lives to save the costs needed to balance the budget."

Context: Metro officials said 64% of Metro bus riders are still not paying their fare.

• Energy costs are also hitting Metro hard, Clarke says.

What's ahead: A Metro spokesperson didn't disclose the anticipated deficit, but said in an email that Clarke is expected to release his budget proposal next month.