Paratransit’s disabled riders face doubled fares

By Launce Rake

Monday, Jan. 7, 2002 | 8:51 a.m.

The Regional Transportation Commission has held several public meetings to gather comment on the proposed paratransit fare increase. Two more are scheduled:

5 to 8 p.m., RTC building, 600 Grand Central Parkway, Room 108.

10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Sahara West Library, 9600 West Sahara Ave., multipurpose room.

Interested people also can comment during consideration of the paratransit policy changes by the commission board, which meets Thursday at 8:45 a.m. in the Clark County Commission Chambers, 500 Grand Central Parkway.

Transportation costs for people with disabilities using the regional paratransit bus service could soon double.

The Regional Transportation Commission is considering three options to increase fares for the service. The RTC, which also provides regular bus service to Clark County, is required by the federal Americans with Disabilities Act to provide roughly equivalent transportation services to people who cannot use the regular service.

About 2,400 people a day, from a pool of more than 9,000 eligible riders, use paratransit services. Those riders are served by 176 paratransit vehicles, essentially smaller sized and specially equipped buses.

The cost of the service for disabled riders, who are screened to ensure eligibility, is $1. But the actual cost to the RTC is about $31 per ride.

The subsidized program loses millions for the agency, RTC officials say. They are backing a new fare system that would charge at least $1.50 per ride, and $2 during peak times of 6 to 9 a.m. and 1 to 4 p.m. Trips to the Strip would cost $4.

A monthly pass card would double in price, from $30 to $60.

RTC officials know that the move is not supported by the thousands who use the paratransit buses daily.

"This certainly is not a popular decision," RTC spokeswoman Ingrid Reisman said.

The agency is aware that the additional charge may be difficult for many riders, especially those on fixed incomes, she said.

But she said the fare increase, expected to generate about $500,000 a year, would reduce the need for other service cuts.

Reisman said paratransit service covers a 511-square-mile area, almost double the 278-square-mile area covered by the regular bus system.

Reisman said the RTC is faced with an unpalatable decision: raise paratransit fares or cut service on the regular bus routes. Federal law requires the RTC to provide paratransit service to areas served by the "fixed route" regular service, she said.

The agency also is considering changing several paratransit policies to reduce costs. One is to require riders who make reservations for transit but later cancel those plans to alert the RTC by at least 5 p.m. the previous day.

High numbers of "no shows" is hurting the service, Reisman said.

Advocates for people with physical or mental disabilities say the increase will hurt.

"I think it's going to be a pretty big impact, especially for the elderly and people with fixed incomes," said Annie Gallegos, an employee for the Southern Nevada Center for Independent Living, a nonprofit agency that assists people with disabilities.

Gallegos, who uses the paratransit service, said even a 50-cent increase hurts those who survive on Social Security benefits. Some people with disabilities receive only $500 to $700 a month as their sole or major source of income, she said.

"I personally think they should lower it rather than raise it," she said of the fare.

Another who is concerned about the proposal is Ed Guthrie, executive director of Opportunity Village, a private nonprofit group dedicated to serving people with mental retardation and other disabilities.

Guthrie is chairman of the RTC's advisory committee for older people and those with disabilities. The committee formally recommended a simple fare increase of 25 cents, to $1.25 a ride -- the same cost as most routes on the regular Citizens Area Transit bus service.

"Other proposals are much too high," he said.

A third proposal on the table would charge $2.50 for all fares, both at peak hours and other times of the day.

Guthrie estimated that half to two-thirds of the 500 or so people with disabilities who work for Opportunity Village use paratransit to come to work. Many survive on federal benefits plus perhaps a few thousand dollars a year from Opportunity Village, he said.

"Most of our folks travel during the peak times," he said. The RTC's preferred option "would essentially double the fare."

Guthrie said he understands the financial difficulty of the RTC, which has seen revenue tumble since the Sept. 11 attacks prompted layoffs and reduced visitor volume to Southern Nevada.

But the best way to cut costs would be to encourage more riders to use the regular bus service, he said.

Reisman said the RTC will encourage more riders, when they can, to take the regular CAT buses. Federal law, she said, only requires that the local agency provide a ride for a disabled person to and from the closest regular bus stop, she said.

"We don't feel that would serve the community," Reisman said.

But providing the specialized service is expensive.

The preferred option "is the most equitable all the way around," she said.