EDITORIAL GOOD TIDINGS NO FARE INCREASE OR BAD LEGISLATION FOR MTA.

PUBLIC transit users in Los Angeles got two pieces of good news this week.

First, and most significantly, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority board decided not raise fares as part of the newly adopted budget, despite having to tap reserves to cover the cost of expansion, and soaring fuel prices.

Board members made the right choice not to hit up riders with a fare increase just as more and more Angelenos are choosing the bus over $3.50-a-gallon gasoline. Ridership numbers are going up, which does affect the bottom line. When a day pass is cheaper than a tank of gas, it's a good time to leave things be.

Besides, the agency's $3 billion 2006-07 budget still has fat, according to MTA board member and county Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky. ``There are funds now being spent on planning and analysis that are not likely to see the light day for many years,'' he said.

MTA Chief Roger Snoble complains that he's had to pare hundreds of jobs from the bureaucracy. Good. Clearly the MTA was bloated if it can function perfectly well with increased ridership despite the loss of so many employees.

The second good piece of news was the legislative death of a state bill that would have limited the city of Los Angeles' clout on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority board. The bill, SB 1507, by Sen. Bob Margett, R-Arcadia, would have given away one of L.A.'s four seats on the 14-member MTA board to the South Bay region.

Mysteriously, no one from the city or MTA went to Sacramento during the bill's hearings to oppose the idea, or even send a letter. After getting criticized for doing nothing, however, a letter was sent to state lawmakers. Only then was the poorly thought-out bill quickly shuffled aside.

With public transportation at such a critical juncture, the public could use more good MTA news.