MADISON, Wis. -- The Madison Transit and Parking Commission on Tuesday night voted down the Madison Metro bus fare hike approved by city officials in December, but the commission instead gave a green light to a 25-cent increase.

VIDEO: Watch The Report

Metro bus fares are currently $1.50. The commission said it would reconsider a proposed 50-cent increase in bus fares, which would help fund a number of new initiatives proposed by Madison's mayor. The commission voted 5-4.

By that same margin, the group approved a 25-cent increase in rider fares. This takes the total fare to $1.75.

The smaller increase was proposed by Alderman Brian Solomon, who sits on the commission. The lower increase still leaves a budget shortfall for Metro Transit that will have to be addressed by the city's Common Council and Metro management.

There is still debate about how necessary the mayor's initiatives are, WISC-TV reported.

Numerous riders at the West Transfer Point Tuesday said that a fare increase isn't desirable, but route cuts would be worse.

"My only alternative would be a cab, and that'd be a little bit too expensive. I'd rather pay 50 cents more I guess if there was a fare increase rather than having the alternative of taking a cab for $20 bucks," said Metro rider Tyson Trowbridge.

Many have seen this issue as a choice between fare increases or route cuts, but at least one member of the TPC said that isn't the case.

If Madison Metro and the Common Council agree, the mayor's new ideas could be cut to save money.

Among the mayor's proposed initiatives is a new marketing position for Metro and added security at the transfer points.

"All of that added up together comes to almost what is expected to be achieved by raising fares. So, if we eliminate some or all of those things, we can pretty much eliminate the need to raise fares," said Alder Robbie Webber, a member of the TPC.

Metro rider Dave Carrig said he doesn't think adding marketing should be a priority.

"Personally, I don't see how marketing would work. I don't know how you're going to convince somebody to ride a bus if they don't want to ride a bus," Carrig said.

As for the security issue, Webber and several riders said that there's a police station just a block from the South Transfer Point that has been known to have some trouble.

Others said that they felt safe and didn't see the need for security.

But Alder Judy Compton argued for the fare increase, saying the difference in cost is only about the price of a can of soda a day.

The TPC doesn't have the authority to change Madison Metro's budget. If the fare increase doesn't pass, the Common Council and Madison Metro management would have to agree with any cuts before they could be made.