More low-income First Coast area residents will be eligible for lower transit fare rates following a Wednesday announcement from the Jacksonville Transportation Authority.
JTA's pilot program for reduced fares, starting Wednesday, has been expanded to include more low-income riders who receive federal assistance from certain programs.
Now, residents who receive Temporary Assistance for Needy Families; Women, Infants and Children benefits; food stamps from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP; or those who qualify for Section 8 federal housing assistance are eligible to purchase tickets at a lower price from JTA through a Reduced Fare STAR Card or the Token Transit mobile application.
Eligible residents who have been approved for the program can purchase single trip passes for a reduced rate of $0.75, down from $1.75.
A day pass will cost a qualified customer $1.50, as opposed to $4.50, and eligible transit-goers who purchase monthly passes can do so for $30, instead of the usual $65 charge.
Before Wednesday’s announcement, the reduced fare program was only accessible to veterans with disabilities, residents collecting Social Security Disability, Supplemental Security Income, or those receiving Medicare.
Those JTA customers are still eligible for the pilot program.
JTA will offer the reduced fare rates to eligible riders through Sept. 30, 2021. However, customers who qualify for the program can purchase up to a year’s worth of passes at the reduced rates while the program is active.
Residents will be required to provide proof of eligibility before they are entered into the program.
Riders can contact the JTA by calling (904) 630-3100 or sending an email to customer-svc@jtafla.com for more information and determine eligibility for reduced fare rates.
Raymon Troncoso can be reached at rtroncoso@wjct.org, 904-358-6319 or on Twitter at @RayTroncoso.
