A slew of disabled Metro riders and advocates pleaded for compassion as Metro’s board was poised to approve an across-the-board fare hike Thursday.
Twenty-six people testified at the hearing, all opposed to the complicated fare structure for riders on the federally mandated MetroAccess paratransit service. Riders pay twice the fares of a comparable bus or rail trip, so their fares will jump when bus and rail fares rise.
About one-fourth of riders pay the $7 maximum fare, but the agency’s own accessibility advisory committee projects about half will pay the maximum after the hike. “If they don’t think it’s fair to charge any rail rider more than $5.75, why is it fair to charge a MetroAccess rider $7?” disabled rights advocate Doris Ray asked after the meeting.
Riders shared stories of not be able to afford their trips to Braille classes, doctor’s appointments or grocery stores. One of the biggest challenges is that fares can range by as much as $4 for the same trip taken just 40 minutes later, so that riders cannot count on having consistent costs. They have sought a simpler flat fare.
The board did not change the fare structure, despite board members asking many questions.
“It sounds like they know they need to fix something,” Accessibility Advisory Committee Chairman Patrick Sheehan said after the meeting.
Advocates said they were disappointed, but not surprised the increases were approved. “This is more or less what we figured was going to happen,” said MetroAccess rider Pat Spray, who testified at all six public hearings.
Instead, Metro plans to roll out an Internet system July 1 that will show MetroAccess riders options so they can pick the cheapest, not just the fastest, trips.
But most MetroAccess riders don’t use the Internet to reserve their MetroAccess trips, advocates have argued, saying that many low-income riders don’t have access to computers or have physical obstacles to using them.
The agency pledged Thursday to look at having call center workers give riders options for finding cheaper trips when booking their trips by phone. Metro will also look at having a similar system available on SmartPhones. Metro General Manager Richard Sarles declined to give a timeline, saying it would be a few months. – Kytja Weir
