After more than a year of debating how much public tax money should be spent to enhance mobility for people with disabilities, RTD directors will again consider a plan to implement fares and scale back the Access-on-Demand service, which currently provides free rides from services like Uber and Lyft.
The Regional Transportation District’s latest proposal — directors delayed a decision in July — would impose a base fare of $6.50, cut the maximum per-trip subsidy from $25 to $20 for up to 60 rides per month, and end 24/7 availability across RTD’s 2,342-mile service area.
Ridership using Access-on-Demand has ballooned tenfold since the program began five years ago. The program provides more than 62,000 rides a month using commercial services at a cost of about $17 million out of the Regional Transportation District‘s $1.2 billion annual budget. RTD staffers estimate tens of thousands more metro residents will qualify for subsidized Access-on-Demand rides in the future…