The Rochester area's public transit service is holding a public hearing this Wednesday on proposed changes to its OnDemand services.
Regional Transit Service is looking for feedback on possible fare increases and operational changes for a service that’s been in effect for about four years in suburban zones around Rochester.
“Think of Uber and Lyft and how much that costs,” said Tom Brede, public information officer with RTS. “OnDemand right now is $1 a ride.”
That could go up to $3 by September, and then increase to $4 by 2026 and $5 by 2027, he said.
“Because of that fare change, we are obligated to have a public hearing,” he said. “So that's one of the main drivers for the hearing itself.”
Another possible update to on-demand rides would be a “virtual stop” marked by a pin identifying a nearby intersection, for instance. The current system has left some ambiguity, Brede said, that may result in missed connections.
“One of the advantages of that is, when you schedule your ride, you will be given a very specific point to go to, to pick up your ride ... to make it easier for both our bus operators and our customers to find each other so we can complete a lot of those rides,” Brede said.
Penalties for no-shows and late cancellations could also take effect. They could include actions like suspending an on-demand account for several days after a given number of infractions, Each year, more than 30,000 on-demand rides are marked as no shows, Brede said. Between the virtual stops and penalties, RTS estimates that frequency could drop by 82%.
OnDemand services operate in separate zones in suburbs around Rochester. Brede said there's a mix of reasons RTS wants to raise the fares, including the end of a $1.7 million grant and rising expenses.
“The cost of vehicles are going up. The cost of fuel has gone up a little bit. Cost of parts for the vehicles and buses,” he said, adding that salaries and healthcare costs are also factors. "Sometimes we have to look at an increase of fair, or something like this to help us offset that.”
The public hearing takes place at the transit authority’s headquarters at 1372 East Main Street in Rochester. It starts at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
