Metro is seeking an emergency infusion of $6.5 million for its MetroAccess service, the latest shortfall for the fastest-growing yet priciest arm of the transit system.
The transit agency had warned that demand for the service for riders with disabilities has been growing faster than officials had projected, but now the agency says that growth means it could spend the money left in its contract a month too early.
“The ridership has grown so much,” said Metro spokeswoman Angela Gates. “We’ve used up that money faster than we expected.”
Ridership on the service that shuttles people with disabilities has risen 20 percent in a year, according to the agency. The average trip costs the agency $38, according to Metro, far more than the base fare of $2.50 for each ride. That means an already expensive service is getting even more expensive for the cash-strapped agency.
The shortfall comes as the Metro board of directors haggles over how to close an $154 million shortfall in the overall budget for the coming fiscal year.
The MetroAccess request serves as a stopgap for the current fiscal year that ends June 30, in which MetroAccess is expected to overrun its $62.5 million budget for the year.
Gates said the agency plans to fund the extra $6.5 million with other savings from the system.
The shortfall isn’t new for the service. In the last fiscal year, MetroAccess overran its budget by $6.2 million, according to a Metro report.
But Metro doesn’t have many long-term options as such service is required under the Americans With Disabilities Act. MetroAccess, which was formed in 1994 to provide equal service to disabled passengers, has more than 20,000 registered riders who rely on it to get to jobs and doctors’ appointments.
The transit agency could reduce the area it serves to the federal minimum of three-quarters of a mile from the Metro system. It also could raise riders’ fares. The federal law allows Metro to charge as much as twice the rail fares, well above the current $2.50 MetroAccess base fare.
Still, Metro board members have been hesitant to reduce the service even as they eye service cuts for Metrobus as well as layoffs.
