Key Takeaway: By law, paratransit fares can be no more than twice the cost of a fixed route fare. The SFMTA policy is to charge the same fare for paratransit as a one-way Muni trip using a Clipper Card. Proposed increases to fixed route fares and proposals for zero fare transit can directly impact paratransit fares and service sustainability. Changes to regional fixed route fare policy can also impact potential one-seat intercounty paratransit services.
According to federal law, ADA paratransit fares may be no more than twice the full fixed route fare for a similar trip, exclusive of discounts. As an agency policy, the SFMTA has decided that SF Access one-way paratransit fares should be the same cost as a Muni Clipper Card single ride. Since fixed route fares and paratransit fares are so closely tied together, any changes to fixed route fare policy should consider the impact on paratransit riders.
An increase in Muni fares would result in increased expenses for paratransit riders, many of whom are low-income and may not be able to afford such a fare increase. Alternatively, making the Muni system fare-free would require providing paratransit services at no cost to the rider.
The impact of a fare-free paratransit system would be two-fold: It would reduce incoming revenue since about 2% of the program’s expenditures are recovered through fare revenue and it could result in an unavoidable increase in ridership and service costs since the agency cannot deny any ADA paratransit trip requests.
Efforts to make regional fixed route and paratransit trips more seamless also raise questions about the impact on regional paratransit fare policy.
The SFMTA and SF Paratransit are involved in the Bay Area Partnership for Accessibility (BAPAC), which is a collaboration among paratransit providers in the Bay Area. Among the initiatives BAPAC is leading is a pilot program to provide one seat/one ride intercounty paratransit trips. Regional fixed route fare policies could impact the feasibility and sustainability of intercounty paratransit fares and programs.
As fare structures and policies evolve in the Bay Area, it is critical that the SFMTA ensures that paratransit services, including fares and costs, are key parts of these evolutions.