Thursday, May 9, 2024–11:45 a.m.
-David Crowder, WRGA News-
Rome Transit Department bus riders may see the return of fares at the first of the year.
The move is expected to help sustain the service following a loss of federal revenue. After the loss of tripper service in 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic hit and the federal government stepped in with additional funding, that covered 100 percent of operating expenses. That allowed RTD to offer free ridership. However, that funding has run out, and the funding formula is back to a 50-50 split.
RTD Director Courtnay Griffin told the city’s transit committee on Wednesday that charging a fare of $1.25, which was the fare before free ridership, would earn a projected $228,142.50 in revenue. A rate of $1.50 would bring in an estimated $273,771.00. She added that a survey showed that a majority would be okay with going back to the $1.25 fare.
“That makes us feel a lot more comfortable about reinstatement,” she said. “More than anything, most people say that they are comfortable with the rate that is what at. However, surprisingly enough, we did have a tie between $1.50 and $2.00. Some of that $2.00 are people who are not riding yet, some students, some Berry kids and things like that. So, we are taking that into consideration.”
According to Griffin, the survey showed that 48.1 percent of the respondents use RTD to go to work, 17.7 percent said they use it for school. 27.8 percent for recreation. 35.4 for medical. 17.7 to visit family and friends, 44.3 for grocery shopping, and 19 percent to access community services.
“It was about 50-50, the ratio who said they have access to other modes of transportation in their household,” Griffin said. “That was an interesting statistic that lets us know, based on this survey, that there are still a lot of people who are without transportation in our community.”
Griffin told the committee that the fares would likely not be reinstated until the first of the year.
The committee also learned Wednesday, that RTD is now making five stops a day at the temporary Rome Police Department headquarters and municipal court building off Technology Parkway.Assistant RTD Director Patrick Hawkins said that they discovered that the nearest bus stop was about a mile away. They rearranged an existing bus route in the short-term and will be looking at a more permanent solution.
