Public transit riders have two more opportunities to share their thoughts about proposed fare hikes.
The Jacksonville Transportation Authority expects to raise prices on its buses as well as for the St. Johns River Ferry.
JTA spokesman David Cawton II said it’s been awhile since the last fare hike.
“It’s the first time since 2012 that we’ve even considered raising some of our fares. A lot’s changed. We’ve completely revamped our routes, we’ve expanded our services and the cost to operate has increased.”
But, Cawton said, the higher fares would be at least partially offset by discounts available through the MyJTA mobile app.
“And here’s the thought behind that, you know, it costs us money to print tickets, to print plastic cards, to count coins and cash every day. We also think when you use the mobile app it speeds up the boarding process,” Cawton.
A summary of the porposed fare hikes as follows:
Fixed-Route & First Coast Flyer Buses
St. Johns Ferry
Readiride
The Skyway will remain free and no changes are being proposed for customers age 65 and older or for Connexion customers.
JTA will hold a public hearing Monday evening from 5 until 7 at Florida State College at Jacksonville’s Downtown campus, 101 W. State Street. The meeting will be held in the Large Auditorium, Room A1068. A second public hearing is scheduled from 10 a.m. to noon on Tuesday at the JTA offices at 100 Myrtle Avenue, Building 1.
The JTA Board of Directors will vote on the proposal following Tuesday’s public hearing. The new fares are anticipated to take effect in October.
Additional information about the proposed fare hikes is available onJTA's website.
Contact reporter Cyd Hoskinson at choskinson@wjct.org, 904-358-6351 and on Twitter at @cydwjctnews.
Bill Bortzfield can be reached at bbortzfield@wjct.org, 904-358-6349 or on Twitter at @BortzInJax.
