King Appointee to 'T' Board, Favors 'Moderate' Fare Hike

The man Gov. Edward J. King appointed yesterday as his representative to the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Advisory Board said he will seek a "moderate" fare increase which he believes is necessary "to keep the system running."

"There has to be a realistic approach to the fare system," State Rep. Lincoln Cole, a member of the House and Senate Conference Committee that drew up the MBTA Reform bill which resolved the authority's recent financial crisis, said yesterday. Cole declined to name a specific increase.

"Commuters must expect to do their fair share to help out the present MBTA financial situation," he added.

Cole, who also advocates reevaluating surface bus routes, will exercise King's share of the Board's votes, which is equal to that of Boston Mayor Kevin H. White.

Before passage of the reform bill, the governor had no representatives on the Advisory Board, which controls fare in- creases, service cutbacks, and approves the MBTA's annual budget.

"It's only fair that the governor has more direct input," Cole said yesterday, adding that the state pays for more than half of the MBTA's operating costs