If I remember, Seattle may raise bus fares because fewer people are riding the buses. In other words, those who do ride the busses will pay the cost of those now not be riding.
Back in New England in the ‘70s, the electric company wanted everybody to conserve power due to the energy crises. Like good little sheep, most of us obeyed (I was a lot younger and more naive then). Upshot was that the power company lost so much money, they imposed a “fuel surcharge” on the bill. Started out small, but increased to the point that it was equal to the total electric bill.
The reason fewer people are riding Seattle buses is because they have homeless people living in them sharing their precious bodily fluids with the bus (including while the buses are moving!).
Seattle has gone full third world.