Riders between 60 and 64 years old are paying more to ride Butler Area Rural Transit buses.

The Area Agency on Aging increased those riders’ co-pay fees this month to 50 percent of the cost to help balance its budget, said Beth Herold, director of the agency. Rates for people over 65 will stay the same.

The cost per trip on the buses varies depending on distance, but prices range from about $15 to $23. The agency subsidizes those rates for people over 60.

The change means riders 60 to 64 years old are now paying $7.50 to $11.50 per trip.

Those riders typically paid $2.50 per trip before the change, Herold said.

Herold said increases in BART service fees made at the beginning of the year ultimately led to the decision to increase the co-pay through the agency. BART rates increased by about $3 in January to pay for higher gas costs.

“Rates for the service increased and we couldn’t shoulder that increase,” she said. “Rather than cut the program, we decided to pay for 50 percent of it.”

Herold said the 60 and 64 years old age group, which averages 40 to 60 riders per month, was targeted because the state does not help pay for those trips.

Herold said the agency paid about $5,000 for more than 2,000 trips for persons 65 and older in April.

The agency paid more for the under 65 age group that month, despite having less than a quarter of its riders in that age group.

“We had about 400 to 500 trips for 60- to 64-year-olds during that time, and it cost us about $6,000,” she said. “The cost is just so much higher, we had to put in some parameters.

The agency still pays for 100 percent of trips for medical reasons such as dialysis, wound care and cancer treatment.

Herold said the agency subsidizes about $159,000 per year for transportation.