[Colorado-Talk] Access-on-Demand: Staff Recommendations

Thu May 22 00:50:01 UTC 2025

Dear Curtis,
Thank you very much for distilling this confusing information. I have a couple of takeaways that I would like to share with you and the group at large.
1 equity many of you will recall that there was a program supported by the state called free fare for clean air I believe beginning August 1, 2023. Those of us enrolled in access on demand will recall that we had a generous subsidy of $350 per day for the entire month. That was implemented for equity. I think we need to consider what equity actually means to us given that we are 20 to 25% of the population. The current annual operating budget of RTD is $1.32 billion a year. 20% of that would amount to roughly $264 million.  I do not believe that the budget for paratransit services gets anywhere close to that. I find it personally offensive that they are struggling to reduce the money they spend from 15 million down to 10 or even even lower. We should be asking and frankly demanding more service. 
2 given our current climate of people with disabilities being under siege from so many different angles this is even more troubling. we are anticipating an increase in the cost of living and buying the necessary things for living. Our day-to-day lives. Increasing our affairs above what is actually legal double what the fixed route fair is, add salt into the wound.

3 I strongly believe and encourage everyone to reject either proposal and demand more service with no caps at all. We know how to increase writer ship by making convenient where we are. We need to stop accepting whatever crumbs are thrown our way and expect that public services actually meet the needs of the public. if anything what we have learned with this access on demand service is that it does just that and perhaps all writers would appreciate on demand service. I think that’s where we might be headed. 

Those are my thoughts, and I would love to hear what others think about these proposals. For me, they are dead on arrival.
Kind regards,
Claudia

> On May 21, 2025, at 3:54 PM, Curtis Chong via Colorado-Talk <colorado-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> 
> Greetings:
>  
> While Access-on-Demand was not actually discussed during the May 14 meeting of RTD's Operations, Safety, and Security Committee, there was a PowerPoint document incorporated into the online agenda which I was able to extract and have analyzed by perplexity.ai./ The analysis document was somewhat convoluted in its format, but I was able to extract the following useful information for those of you interested in knowing what RTD staff is currently considering for Access-on-Demand.
>  
> <Begin Excerpt>
>  
>  
> Current Access-on-Demand Program
> Subsidized curb-to-curb taxi and ride-share service for certified paratransit customers.
> RTD pays the first $25 of each trip; the customer pays any amount above that.
> Customers may take up to 60 trips per month.
> Available within the entire RTD service area, 24/7.
> No customer fare (i.e., $0 base fare).
> Annual operating cost: $15.3 million; 685,402 customer trips in 2024.
>  
> Initial Recommendations (November 2024)
>  
> Customer Fare
> Current Program: $0 (base), $0 (LiVE)
> Initial Recommendation: $4.50 (base), $2.25 (LiVE)
> Trip Cap
> Current Program: 60 per month
> Initial Recommendation: 40 per month
> Subsidy per Trip
> Current Program: $25
> Initial Recommendation: $20
> Service Area
> Current Program: Entire District
> Initial Recommendation: Mirrors ADA service area
> Service Hours
> Current Program: 24/7
> Initial Recommendation: Mirrors current service hours
>  
> Estimated annual cost reduction: $5.86 million (38.2% decrease)
>  
>  
> Revised Recommendations
>  
> Scenario 1: Increased Trip Cap Approach
>  
> •            Trip Cap: 50 trips per month (higher than initial recommendation but lower than current).
> •            Fare: $6.50 per trip (base), $3.25 per trip (LiVE discount).
> •            Subsidy: $20 per trip.
> •            Service Area/Hours: Mirrors current ADA service area and hours.
> •            Estimated annual cost reduction: $6.17 million (40.2% decrease)1.
>  
> Financial Impacts:
> Increased fare generates more revenue.
> Trip cap reduction and subsidy decrease save costs.
> Projected yearly spend: $9.16 million (down from $15.33 million).
>  
> Scenario 2: Tiered Approach
>  
> Trip Cap: Up to 60 trips per month.
> Tiered Fare Structure:
> Trips 1–30: $4.50 (base), $2.25 (LiVE)
> Trips 31–50: $5.50 (base), $2.75 (LiVE)
> Trips 51–60: $6.50 (base), $3.25 (LiVE)
> Subsidy: $20 per trip.
> Service Area/Hours: Mirrors current ADA service area and hours.
> Estimated annual cost reduction: $5.04 million (32.9% decrease)1.
>  
> Operational Considerations:
> Requires significant staff oversight and additional headcount (4 FTEs).
> Customers must track their trips to know their fare each time, potentially causing confusion.
> Projected yearly spend: $10.29 million.
>  
> Summary of Options
>  
> Scenario 1 (Increased Trip Cap): Reduces trip cap to 50/month and increases fare, maximizing cost savings and revenue while maintaining a relatively high trip allowance.
> Scenario 2 (Tiered): Maintains the current 60-trip cap but introduces a tiered fare structure, increasing the fare as usage rises. This option preserves flexibility for high-frequency users but adds administrative complexity and potential customer confusion.
>  
> <End Excerpt>
>  
> Cordially,
>  
> Curtis Chong
>  
>  
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