News

SARTA TO SCALE BACK SERVICE FOR PROLINE RIDERS WITH DISABILITIES

November 20, 2024

Robert Wang

Canton Repository

CANTON ‒ The Stark Area Regional Transit Authority plans to significantly cut ride-by-appointment paratransit service for riders with disabilities due to slumping sales tax revenue.

SARTA has scheduled four federally mandated public meetings to discuss the changes to the ProLine service that are expected to take effect Feb. 10.

SARTA CEO Kirt Conrad said the current ProLine service, with three days notice, picks up any eligible rider from any point in Stark County and takes them to any other location in Stark County, a service few transit systems in Ohio provide.

To be eligible, a rider must have a physical or cognitive disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act that prevents them from getting to a bus stop. About 38 of SARTA’s 145 bus drivers operate the smaller ProLine shuttles.

But Conrad said federal regulations require that if SARTA offers countywide service, it has to provide whatever buses and drivers are necessary to meet demand, which becomes costly. He said SARTA has not made any significant changes in the ProLine services since SARTA went countywide in 1996.

“We’re not allowed to deny any rides (with the current ProLine program),” Conrad said. “If I have 20 people call at the same time, I have to send another bus out to get them.”

With the new service, “we won’t be under the federal regulations to send more buses,” Conrad said, estimating the cut in service will save at least $500,000.

SARTA experimented with ridesharing service

He said because of the expense, SARTA was looking to phase out the countywide ProLine service and replace it with a contracted ridesharing service.

SARTA began experimenting in June in Massillon with a rideshare model called SARTA Connect where riders could summon service with an app from the contractor Via Transportation. It cost SARTA about $1 million a year, and SARTA Connect was providing about 1,000 rides a month.

For $1.50, riders could get a ride within Massillon with no advanced booking and a larger area beyond that if they prebooked their ride. But due to the drop in revenue, Conrad said SARTA plans to end the service by February and give Via Transportation a 90-day notice it’s ending the contract.

After Feb. 10, SARTA will offer paratransit service to riders with disabilities from only locations within 0.75 miles of a fixed bus route to another location within 0.75 miles of a fixed bus route.

The hours of service will be the same as for fixed-route buses. But Conrad said the range of service will be limited and not as frequent as the current ProLine. Plus, the fare will be $3.50 instead of $2.50 with ProLine. Also, if vehicles are booked and at capacity, riders will not be able to book transportation for the time and location they want.

Conrad said the federal minimum standard is for paratransit to take a rider from within 0.75 miles of a fixed bus route to a bus stop or to take a rider from a bus stop to a location within 0.75 miles of the bus route.

Expected impact

Jodi Broom of Plain Township said she has three adult sons with autism. Two of them rely on ProLine as a primary or secondary mode of transportation.

Broom said one of her sons commutes to work at a restaurant from Plain Township, usually with a private transportation service covered through a Medicaid waiver program. But that service doesn’t always have availability, so her son will use ProLine as a backup to get to his job.

Another son uses ProLine to get from Plain Township to vocational rehabilitation services at Pegasus Farm in Marlboro Township.

“I think it’s going to hurt our individuals with disabilities in trying to get to work,” said Broom.

She is the co-founder of Sharing Solutions IDD Educational and Support Group, which helps people with disabilities transition to living as an adult after high school.

Bill Green, the superintendent of the Stark County Board of Developmental Disabilities, estimates that SARTA’s changes to ProLine would affect 50 of the board’s clients. He said ProLine service has often helped the clients achieve greater independence. He said the board would try to find other transportation options for them, and that may require seeking limited Medicaid waiver dollars or funding from managed care plans to cover private transportation.

But not all the clients may be eligible for that assistance.

“For the people we support, the nice thing is they will have options,” he said. “We just don’t like to see any option taken off the table. But certainly, we’re living in a time that’s fragile when it comes to finances. We understand the decision that SARTA is making and we will adapt and pivot as we need to. But we need to make sure that we are providing an inclusive and mobile access to our community for the people we support.”

Stark County sees sales tax decline

SARTA provided figures showing that the transit agency’s revenue from its 0.25% sales tax from August to October was $4.76 million, less than the $5.18 million projected and less than $4.94 million for those three months last year.

It’s possible that sales tax revenue for 2024 will be about $1 million less than anticipated. Conrad said reduced state income tax revenue has led SARTA to project a 5% decline in sales tax revenue or about $1 million for 2025.

”This is a budgetary move on our part. We’ve eliminated just about all non-essential spending out of our budget. This will be somewhat of a service reduction,” said Conrad. “I can’t guarantee there won’t be additional cuts either in staffing or service.”

Also, amid the budget cuts, Conrad said SARTA is in negotiations with its bus operator union on a new three-year contract. The current contract expires at the end of December.

The meetings to discuss the change in service are scheduled to take place:

SARTA said riders who want to find out if the proposed changes affect them or wish to comment on the proposed changes can call 330-477-2782, Option 2.

Those who can’t make the meetings can submit their comments to SARTAonline.com/proline-public-meeting by Thursday.

Conrad said SARTA’s board will vote Dec. 11 on whether to approve the reductions in ProLine service, what the new service that replaces it will offer and what the new service will be called.


SARTA to scale back service for ProLine riders with disabilities

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