The anticipated Muni social strike against the fare increase did not gain momentum at campus bus stops during Thursday’s early morning commute as many students chose to pay the new fare.

In an effort to alleviate its $57 million deficit, Muni fares were raised by 25 cents to $1.50. Along with the fare hike, the agency plans to start cutting service along some of its runs, meaning riders will pay more for longer waits between buses.

As a term of the strike, organizers and supporters encouraged passengers on trains and buses to either pay a partial fare, or no fare at all. Operators were also encouraged to not accept fares.

Knowing that today was the first day of the strike, some students were expecting delays in their ride to school. However, the 28–19th Avenue bus was on schedule with no disruptions.

Although students were aware that fees have increased and services have been cut, they said they would only be interested if they knew it would directly affect their commute.

“I know absolutely nothing except for those stickers that I see once in a while,” freshman Emily Chang said.

Matt Grove, a freshman at SF State, said he “had no thoughts about it basically.”

Others point out that the monthly Muni pass is still $45 and those who use it will not be impacted by the change.

“Because I usually buy a monthly pass, it’s not going to affect me,” senior Michala Hamilton said.

However, some feel they cannot afford the increasing fares on top of their mounting school expenses and have taken more direct action against the rising fees.

Anna Marie Cabarloc, a junior at SF State, has been riding her bicycle to school from her home in the outer Mission. She thinks it is unfair that students now have something else to be stressed about.

“It all adds up for us. It’s bad enough that we have to worry about textbooks and everything else, but now we have to worry about transportation and how to get to school," Cabarloc said. "If they had student [Muni] passes, a lot of people would be paying for it.”

Some students said that the drivers are sometimes lenient and understanding when it comes to paying the fee.

“Often times they let you get on even if you don’t have the right fare,” Hamilton said.

While there was not too much activity around campus bus stops, several students did observe some strike participation on their way to and from class.

“I don’t think anybody paid on my bus ride from Kirkham to Holloway,” senior Juan Andrade said.

Although there were no outright fare hike protests on campus, many students went to the Mission and Downtown areas to voice their anger. At 16th and Mission and Market and Fourth streets, strike advocates stayed busy peacefully handing out flyers and urging riders to refuse to pay the fare.

According to the Web site, www.socialstrike.net, the strike will not end until “Muni backs down and satisfies our demands by repealing the fare hike and reversing all service cuts and layoffs.”