The price to ride a COTA bus will stay the same at least through the end of 2015, and the popular CBUS downtown circulator will remain free until May 3rd. Both decisions were made by the COTA Board of Trustees this morning, with the CBUS date set specifically to give the transit authority more time to secure outside funding for the line.
In October COTA proposed raising the cost of a standard bus ride to $2.25 from $2.00, and charging fifty cents to ride the CBUS. Staff this month recommended keeping the current fare structure, and the board agreed. The new recommendation came after compiling input gathered from public meetings and online, hearing concerns raised from the Board, and performing an assessment of COTA’s financial and operational outlook.
In addition to the decisions on standard bus fare and the CBUS, the board also agreed to restore free fares for ADA customers on fixed-route service. Those fares had been increased to $1.00 three years ago, but COTA saw a drop-off in use after that policy was implemented.
Lisa Knapp of COTA said that board policy dictates that the fare issue be revisited at a minimum every three years, although the board is granted the discretion to make fare adjustments at any time.
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