Metro News Release
For immediate release: March 25, 2010
Metro officials discuss proposals to manage growing MetroAccess ridership, costs
Service currently exceeds Americans with Disabilities Act requirements
Metro officials are discussing proposed changes to MetroAccess to manage the exploding growth and costs of the paratransit service as Metro grapples with a $189 million deficit in FY2011.
Demand for the service for people whose disabilities prevent them from using Metrobus or Metrorail has skyrocketed in recent years due to substantial service improvements and an increase in the population of older adults and people with disabilities in the Washington area, which mirrors a national trend.
MetroAccess ridership has increased by more than 50 percent in the last five years and officials expect it to double again by 2014 if current service levels are maintained. MetroAccess currently has 28,000 registered users, and about 7,700 trips are taken on an average weekday.
“Ridership growth has driven costs substantially upward, from a budget of $85.6 million in FY2010 to a projected $103.1 million in FY2011,” said Selene Faer Dalton-Kumins, Director of MetroAccess Service. MetroAccess riders pay a base fare of $2.50 per trip, but the actual cost to Metro is about $38 per trip.
Currently, MetroAccess service exceeds ADA requirements by operating beyond the ADA minimum of a three-quarter mile radius of fixed-route bus and rail services and where no other public transportation exists. In addition, MetroAccess provides door-to-door service and charges a nominal supplemental fare for customers traveling beyond the three-quarter mile corridor.
Metro’s Board of Directors today reviewed policy options that could mitigate the rising costs of MetroAccess service, such as limiting the service to three-quarters of a mile from existing Metrobus or Metrorail service and increasing the MetroAccess base fare from $2.50 to up to twice the comparable fixed route fare.
Limiting service to the three-quarter-mile corridor minimum required by the ADA could save Metro $2.4 million per year. While increasing the fare is not expected to be a major revenue source, it could have the effect of promoting greater use of the already successful Free Ride Program. The program, which allows MetroAccess-eligible customers to ride Metrobus and Metrorail for free, could save Metro upwards of $20 million in FY2010.
In addition, Metro plans to implement conditional eligibility in July after getting input from its Accessibility Advisory Committee and other disability advocacy groups. “Conditional eligibility would allow people with disabilities to use MetroAccess for certain trips and make further use of the Free Ride Program,” Dalton-Kumins said. “For instance, a person with low vision might be able to take Metrobus during the day but would need to take MetroAccess at night.”
Metro is currently holding a series of six public hearings to get public input on options to close the FY2011 budget gap. Options being considered include changes to MetroAccess service. The Board is expected to make a final decision on the budget in late April and any proposed fare increases, service reductions and changes to MetroAccess service would start June 27, 2010.
News release issued at 2:18 pm, March 25, 2010.