The Regional Transportation Commission hosted it first of four open houses intended to teach the public of their upcoming proposals and learn from the public where they could make improvements.
RTC plans on changing some fare policies, changing certain practices with ACCESS, and increasing efficiency for routes.
Michael Delude, Traffic Planner and Scheduling for RTC, says they are looking to change segment run times, meaning how fast you get from point A to point B.
"These haven't been adjusted in several years, so we're looking to bring them up to date," Delude says.
They also plan on reducing the number of passes riders will be able to purchase, hopefully making the process simpler. These changes would also include fare reductions for certain passes and riders.
RTC would also reduce the senior age eligibility to 60, down from 65.
RTC is also proposing changes to ACCESS, meaning riders with disabilities who use the paratransit system will see some changes.
RTC plans to limit ACCESS to three quarters of a mile away from their fixed routes, which is the Americans with Disabilities Act requirement. They currently cater to people outside that mile range, and people served in the area would still have access to public transportation through something called microtransit.
Microtransit is the same concept as Lyft or Uber: riders just call to make a reservation, and they will be picked up and brought to a place with access to a fixed route.
All of these ideas are tentative; they will not be set to the RTC board for approval until March for ACCESS and May for fare policies.
There are three more open houses this week:
February 21, 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. at the Meadowood Mall RTC Transfer Station
February 21, 3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. at Stead Elementary School
February 22, 7:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. at 4th Street Station
