Fares for disabled, elderly transporation to rise in January
Acknowledging that some disabled or elderly locals might be left
without a ride to the doctor or the store, the county’s Local
Transportation Agency last week voted to replace suggested
donations with set fares for one service and raise the cost of
another program by 25 percent.
The moves were prompted by revenue drops for the county’s
out-of-county non-emergency medical transportation and
medical-shopping assistance programs.
Fares for disabled, elderly transporation to rise in January
Acknowledging that some disabled or elderly locals might be left without a ride to the doctor or the store, the county’s Local Transportation Agency last week voted to replace suggested donations with set fares for one service and raise the cost of another program by 25 percent.
The moves were prompted by revenue drops for the county’s out-of-county non-emergency medical transportation and medical-shopping assistance programs.
Under the existing system, specialized transportation contractor Jovenes de Antano asks for a donation from its clients of $10 or $20 for a round trip ride to medical appointments anywhere from Salinas to Palo Alto, Monday through Saturday. Clients who are not able to donate the full amount – or any amount – are not denied a ride.
That will change under the newly-adopted zone fares, which will charge riders $2 each way for trips to Gilroy, $3 if they are traveling to Watsonville, Salinas or Morgan Hill, $4 each way to Monterey, Santa Cruz or San Jose, and $5 each way to Palo Alto.
“The plan is that everybody is going to have to pay the fare,” said transportation planner Betty LiOwen. “We wish we didn’t have to do that but we’re not getting the type of revenue we anticipated from the riders and from the state to fund the services. In order for us to have a steady revenue source to fund the program, it’s unfortunate that some people might not be able to use the service because they might not have the resources to do so.”
In July, the most recent month for which data is available, 420 passengers utilized the out-of-county transportation service, donating a total of $474 – or $1.13 per ride.
The LTA also voted to raise the one-way cash fare for the medical-shopping assistance program to $1.25 from $1. This program primarily serves seniors over the age of 60 and persons with disabilities by providing transportation, escort and minor Spanish translation services for clients with in-town medical appointments or those who need a ride to the bank, grocery store or pharmacy.
The July numbers show that 105 passengers utilized this service, with $105 collected by drivers.
The two specialized transportation services combined cost more than $13,000 per month to administer, with much of that money coming from state and federal sources. The rate changes are scheduled to go into effect in January.
LiOwen said she doesn’t “think it’s realistic” to have the programs entirely funded by fare collection, as that money more likely will be just enough to cover the cost of fuel.
“We don’t know what to expect with donations, because some people can’t afford the fare,” she said. “So we anticipate a drop in passengers” with the new rate plans.
“We’ve had really good months, where revenue would be in the thousands,” LiOwen added. “With the required fare, that might keep it somewhat level, instead of having super high months with revenue in the thousands and super low months with revenue in the hundreds. We do hope revenues go up, but ultimately we’re trying to keep a steady revenue source.”
Jovenes de Antano, which began the specialized transportation program years ago, has applied to have its contract with the county extended beyond this year. LiOwen said negotiations are ongoing “with a couple of firms” and that a contract may be reached by October.
