Utah Transit Authority May Raise Paratransit Fares

    By Emily F. Keller

    Seniors and people with disabilities who use paratransit service in the Salt Lake City area may soon be charged a substantially higher fare than public transit riders.

    The Utah Transit Authority, which serves Salt Lake City, is holding public hearings this month about a proposal to raise fares for its paratransit service this summer from $2.50 or $2.75 to $4 per trip. That would be double the expected public transit fare of $2. According to the Salt Lake Tribune, the authority has 4,200 paratransit customers.

    In addition to raising the paratransit fare to double that of public transit, the authority is proposing to get rid of its monthly paratransit pass and discounts on multi-trip packages.

    In its press release, the authority said it has historically gone "above and beyond" federal regulations, offering rides to residents who live outside the required service area, but can no longer afford to do so because of in increase in ridership and a decline in sales tax revenue. In 2008, the authority's sales tax revenues came in $18 million lower than expected.

    The March 31 announcement comes just six days after the New York City Transit Authority rescinded a similar plan to raise paratransit fares on its federally mandated Access-A-Ride service. The authority currently plans to vastly cut subway and bus service beginning June 1 unless the state legislature can agree on a bailout plan before then. Read the story.

    Paratransit is a shared ride car and van service required by the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act. The federal legislation requires all public transit providers to offer "comparable" service to local residents who live within 3/4 of a mile of transit stations that they are functionally unable to use. That depends on whether the nearby stations have ramps or elevators, the individual's condition and other variables. Some transit providers require applicants to come for in-person evaluations to determine their eligibility for paratransit while others accept doctors' note received through the mail.

    The federal law allows transit providers to set higher fares for paratransit trips than public transit service under certain circumstances including financial strain. The law states:

"The fare for a trip charged to an ADA paratransit eligible user of the complementary paratransit service shall not exceed twice the fare that would be charged to an individual paying full fare (i.e., without regard to discounts) for a trip of similar length, at a similar time of day, on the entity's fixed route system."

    However, special approval from the Federal Transit Authority may be required. Public hearings in Utah begin April 15th.

    Click here to read the follow-up story.