UPDATE: The meeting resumed, but interruptions from the BRU continue, with members demanding a hearing on the fare increase, despite the fact no hearing had been publicly scheduled, nor has the Board of Directors indicated they were going to rescind the fare increase, originally approved

The agency’s Board of Directors began their regular monthly meeting this morning but Board Chairman Ara Najarian called for a recess after several minutes of often angry public testimony from members of the Bus Rider Union (BRU).

The BRU has several dozen members at the meeting. They are calling for the Board of Directors to rescind the fare increase scheduled for July 1, although no vote has been scheduled. The increase was originally approved in 2007 and then was delayed from July 1 of 2009 to this July 1 as part of the Measure R sales tax increase.

Here’s the new fare structure. As we’ve written on several occasions, even with the increase Metro fares are in line with the fares of other major transit agencies in the nation. It is also worth noting that fares for students, the disabled, seniors and Medicare recipients remain frozen — another provision of Measure R — until July 1, 2013. Only 48% of Metro users will pay a higher fare beginning in July.

In addition, Metro also has a separate set of low fares for qualifying low-income transit users.