Community Transit fares return to pre-pandemic rates

United Community Action Partnership (UCAP) Transportation announced last week that community transit fares are returning to pre-covid rates.
Director Nick Leske said that special funding for transit systems during the pandemic expired at the end of 2021, so a return to normal fare prices is necessary.
“All of our previous fare collection procedures and costs are back,” he said.
That means all types of bus passes are back to their normal cost. “During the pandemic, we only sold monthly ride passes, and we sold them for a suggested fee of $40.”
The return of full fare rates means people can once again purchase passes based on their travel needs.
Those who travel within a single town can purchase a monthly ride pass for $70. For people who need to travel between towns, a monthly pass is $80.
The convenience of being able to purchase a variety of passes directly from bus drivers is also coming back.
“Our $25 ride cards and tokens were not sold during the pandemic so we could reduce the number of hand-to-hand exchanges between passengers and drivers,” Leske said, “but those options will be available on buses again for those who don’t want to purchase a monthly pass.”
Monthly ride passes will need to be purchased through a UCAP office, as was the case before the pandemic.
“We want to keep things as clean and simple for everyone on board the buses,” Leske said.
The base fare is $2 for an in-town, dial-a-ride bus when scheduled at least the day before.
When a ride is scheduled on the day of transportation, the base rate is $2.50. The fare increases in $1 increments based on distance traveled from point to point.
Complete details on fares are available at communitytransitswmn.org.
After more than a year of free or reduced rate transportation, Leske said it may be difficult for some people to begin budgeting for transportation again, but he said collecting fares is an important part of keeping buses on the road.
“In a normal year, our contract with the Minnesota Department of Transportation only covers part of our operations,” he said.
“Passenger fares help cover the rest. We couldn’t exist long term without them.”
 
United Community Action Partnership is a non-profit organization that strives to help low and moderate income families improve their lives and move out of poverty.