... [snip] ... In reading your message (below), I see you are on the city's paratransit subcommittee, so my questions are somewhat related to your serving on that committee.
Does the subcommittee believe that the newly proposed rate increases will be "affordable" to the general body of people who are transit reliant? Or are there likely to be a number of individuals (how many?) "priced out" of continuing to regularly using the bus system as a result of the proposed paratransit fare increase?
Who actually pays the fare for a paratransit ride is quite complex. Paratransit is the only Metro service with time-of-day pricing. Peak-time (7-9a and 2-4p) fares are not going up: they remain at the legal maximum under the ADA, twice the "base fare" or $3.00. Off-peak time fares are increasing from 1.50 to 2.00.
People with disabilities are more transit reliant than non-disabled people, and our national unemployment rate is a dismal 67%. There are some mitigating factors, however. If one is "disabled" by Social Security Administration standards (=unable to maintain substantial gainful employment) *and* poor, one is eligible for State-funded Medicaid. (In WI it's called Medical Assistance, or MA, for short). Thanks to very creative planning by Ken Golden, Jim Cobb, and Metro staff, Federal Medicaid transportation money passes through the State to Metro to pay for 2/3rds of paratransit rides. How many rides an individual can take per month depends on issues too complex to even begin to discuss, but even riders who are working (and thereby earning *some* money) get at least 50 rides/month.
I was not present at the meeting where the ADA Paratransit Oversight Subcommittee made the decision, but from what I understand, the subcommittee's members felt that paratransit riders should do their part to ensure that Metro is there to use in the future. They also felt it made sense to create some cash incentive for paratransit riders to try riding mainline. (Under the ADA, paratransit is only available to people who cannot ride mainline because of their impairments. Someone like myself, who can tolerate the range of Wisconsin weather, is only eligible to ride paratransit when ice and snow prevent me getting to and from the bus stop in my powerchair.)
Metro does not keep figures on how many people don't ride the bus. I welcome suggestions for how we could measure "priced out" paratransit riders.
Regarding public awareness of this proposal, I am surprised I didn't see or hear anything about the proposed changes prior to today. I realize I'm already too late to submit written comments, but I am going to try and make it to Monday's public hearing, and possibly testify.
I hope you do! I always want more people to share their opinions.
There was a press release on the hearing. It seems that few Madison media outlets think spreading the word is important. I appreciate that you feel it was underpublicized. Putting notices on the buses, in the newspaper, and on the web meets Metro's statutory requirements. Metro has extremely tight PR budgets. I welcome your suggestions for no-cost publicity techniques to make the hearings better known.
--- at 1:11 PM 03/9/19, Neuman, Michael T wrote ---
I read your message to Michael Barrett off the bikies web site ( www.danenet.org/bcp ) today. For some reason, I have been unable to open the last few bikies digests at my other address. In reading your message (below), I see you are on the city's paratransit subcommittee, so my questions are somewhat related to your serving on that committee.
Does the subcommittee believe that the newly proposed rate increases will be
"affordable" to the general body of people who are transit reliant? Or are
there likely to be a number of individuals (how many?) "priced out" of
continuing to regularly using the bus system as a result of the proposed
paratransit fare increase?
Are there formerly transit reliant people who have already been priced out of using the metro bus system due to past rate increases? Does the metro system keep tabs on that kind of thing? If so, how many transit reliant people have seen their mobility impaired by past paratransit fare increases?
Regarding public awareness of this proposal, I am surprised I didn't see or hear anything about the proposed changes prior to today. I realize I'm already too late to submit written comments, but I am going to try and make it to Monday's public hearing, and possibly testify. Do you happen to know if there was a news release on the hearing? The public hearing notice contains rather sketchy information about what's being proposed in my opinion. It seems others on the list would share my opinion on this based on the messages I've read.
Metro's having posted the information on the metro buses and Riders Alert
flyer was insufficient in notifying users who ride the bus only during the
cold, snowy weather (most bicyclists, roller bladers, ambitious pedestrians
and others).
I might also say that Madison Metro's posting their proposed fare increases on city buses used to take kids to school pretty near guarantees parents won't hear about the raises until they take effect and their budget is already drawn up for the month.
As I mentioned above, I used the bcp page for this message, which goes only to posting person of the message being responded to.. So if you post your reply to me through the bikies listserv, please include this here message with it.
Mike N. -------------------
-- Jesse the K -- Madison, WI USA -- mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] If democracies don't defend civil liberties, how can we expect dictatorships to defend civil liberties? _______________________________________________ Bikies mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.danenet.org/mailman/listinfo/bikies
