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

2. 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

3. 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.

4. 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

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. 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 ADA fare
The 8 mile trip is now $ 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 $ ….. So with the $5.50 fare , the Member City subsidy is $ fare recovery would be about 17%

8. 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.

9. 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

10. Questions/Discussion
Scott Wisner
That concludes the presentation