Paratransit Fare Increase Scott Wisner Valley Metro, customer service manager Phoenix, AZ

Proposed Paratransit Fare Structure Scott Wisner Customer Service Manager THanks Steve Good morning IN December when the Committee recommended approval of the march 1 fare increase, Valley Metro staff was requested to convene the fare policy committee to address inequities in the current para transit fare structure. In early January a paratransit fare structure working group was formed composed of staff from valley metro and member cities My report today will update you on the fare structure changes we are proposing

Background 2009—Valley Metro Board adopted revised ADA fare structure (2x local bus and rail fare) ADA fare structure not adopted by entire region Non ADA fare locally defined 2012—Valley Metro Board action: ADA fare to increase from $3.50 to $4.00 on March 1, 2013 (2x local fare) Widened gap between ADA and Non-ADA fares Convene paratransit fare policy working group A quick review of how we got here…. In 2009 the Board adopted a policy that set the ADA fare structure at 2X the local transit fare. ADA passengers are those who are qualified and have registered with the valley metro mobility center. The ADA fare structure was not adopted by all cities in the region….. In addition, Paratransit service for NON ADA passengers is locally funded and the fare structures have been set by City policies. The Board action in December raised the ADA fare to 4.00 with the understanding that the fare structure issues would be addressed immediately.

Paratransit Fare Policy Working Group Goals Achieve regional ADA fare conformity In order to develop and implement a regional ADA paratransit system, regional ADA services need to follow same fare structure Close the gap between ADA and non-ADA fares ADA customers are paying a higher fare than non-ADA customers Some ADA customers are taking non-ADA trips because it is less expensive Non-ADA trips are not eligible for PTF reimbursement Address non-ADA trip reservation policy Expedite transition Make recommendation to city councils Two primary goals of the working group Achieve regional conformity of the ADA fare structure This is a prerequisite for a regional service paratransit system Close the gap between ADA and Non ADA fares Some ADA passengers paying a higher fare than NON ADA passengers Some ADA customers taking NON ADA trips because price is lower We also considered the reservation policy, and we were bound to expedite the transition to eliminate the fare inequities as soon as practical. The group’s deliverable was to make a recommendation to the Valley Metro Regional Transit Advisory Group Ultimately, NON ADA fare structures must be approved by Member Cities and these recommendations are for the consideration of each Member City for approval

ADA Fare Structure Changes These are the proposed changes to the ADA Fare structure Service Areas operated by VM are shown in Yellow Service areas operated by Member Cities are shown in white Changes are shown in Green…. Generally that over the course of the next 16 months fares across the region will conform to the $4.00 fare, which is the regional fare policy for ADA service.

Non-ADA Fare Structure Changes NON ADA fares and service provided vary from city to city The service areas that Valley Metro operates are shown in yellow Glendale operates service within its City Boundaries A number of cities do not offer Non ADA service, there are other programs that serve seniors and passengers with qualified medical conditions. As you can see, base fares are well below the 4.00 ADA pricing….. Our recommendation is to transition the base fares to $4.00 in $1. annual increments to $4. by July 2015 In the East Valley service area, For longer trips, there is additional fare paid based on the distance of the trip. Currently that is zone based. We are recommending that this move to a trip distance fare structure to align the cost of the fare with the actual cost of the trip.

Example of Non-ADA, Distance Based Fare Structure (July 2015) Here is the proposed NON ADA fare structure in July 2015 Base fares have been conformed to the 4. 00 ADA fare The 8 mile trip is now $5.50 up $2. from the July 2013 trip Only the base fare has increased…all trips are up $2.00 from 2013. TO give some perspective to these fares, In 2015 the projected average cost of a NON ADA 8 mile trip to the Member City is $ 32.00 ….. So with the $5.50 fare , the Member City subsidy is $26.50 fare recovery would be about 17%

Additional Recommendation Change reservation policy for non-ADA service to one day or same day advance reservation in cities that offer both ADA and non-ADA service (July 2013) Currently ADA passengers may reserve their ride up to 14 days in advance…. This is considered a benefit to get the ride reserved early. For the Valley Metro service areas in the East and West Valley, the current policy allows reservations up to 3 days in advance….. The recommendation is shortening the advance reservations to one day….. The purpose here is that should funding resources for NON ADA trips become limited, Member Cities could set limits on number of trips available per day. Trips would be issued on a first come - first served basis. This would provide a mechanism for the Members to control their total program costs.

Next Steps March 2013—ADA fare increase implemented in select cities Public involvement effort to commence in March/April to solicit input on proposed ADA and non-ADA fare changes May 2013—Assist regional partners with presentation of proposed fare structure to city councils of affected cities July/August 2013—ADA and non-ADA fares are adjusted, pending approval by city councils in each affected jurisdiction Next Steps are as follows We have implemented the $4.00 ADA fare increase for most cities Valley Metro is working with Member Cites in March and April to obtain public input on the proposed fare changes In addition Valley Metro will support Members in their presentations to City Councils In the July to August timeframe fares will be adjusted pending approvals by city councils That concludes the presentation

Questions/Discussion Scott Wisner 602-251-2021 swisner@valleymetro.org That concludes the presentation