[IL-Talk] Help fight upcoming RAP and TAP paratransit changes Sign our petition

[debbiepittman99 at gmail.com]

CONCERNED CITIZENS OF PARATRANSIT

CCOFP at YAHOO.COM

Petition link: https://tinyurl.com/mrdkh2ky

 

Join us as we fight paratransit changes. Sign our petition to show your
support in our efforts to protect transportation services for people with
disabilities.

On June 12, 2025, the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) adopted
Ordinance 2025-26 approving an ADA Paratransit Action Plan, which includes
proposed changes to the ADA Paratransit program to address the projected
2025 ADA Paratransit budget shortfall. The plan is to raise the cost of TAP
and RAP trips from $2 to $3.25 and to limit the number of rides paratransit
riders can take on RAP and TAP to 30 trips a month. This adoption of this
Ordinance occurred without input from the disability community-the very
people it effects. Once again we take the position of "Nothing about us
without us".

We understand there is a short-fall, however, eliminating TAP and RAP rides
to paratransit riders from four round trips a day (240 a month) down to one
trip a day (30 trips a month) is an extreme cut, which will cause major
capacity constraints to those utilizing TAP and RAP services, in light of
the driver shortages experienced within the carriers for standard
paratransit services. Furthermore, this will cause paratransit riders to end
up being stranded if they are only allowed to take "one" ride a day with no
subsequent return trip.

The TAP program has been in place for approximately 20 years and the RAP
program since the pandemic, and paratransit riders depend extremely heavily
on those services as a reliable source of transportation for people with
disabilities. We understand there is a chance of raising fares for TAP and
RAP since those prices were lowered during the pandemic. However, the
elimination of available services would be detrimental to the disability
community who use paratransit.

We are strongly recommending that RTA and Pace come up with a more viable
plan to make up the short-fall deficit that is less harmful to the
paratransit riders.

Cordially,