York County Public Transportation presented a draft fare change proposal July 22 and asked the board to schedule a public hearing to allow public comment before any final action. The director said the hearing should be scheduled after Labor Day to give the public adequate notice.
The director reported background research by surveying other Nebraska providers and said the highest comparable flat boarding fare he found (excluding mileage-based providers) was $3. He told the board the state (NdOT) requires a $1 minimum local boarding fare and that York’s current local boarding fare is $2.
Specific proposals discussed: raise the local (in-town) full fare from $2 to $3 with sliding reduced fares tied to 125% and 150% of poverty; raise in-county fares from $4 to $5 (round-trip $10 at full price); set a special Thursday round-trip rate to Lincoln of $20 (flat round trip), and revise expanded-trip pricing to $15 within 30 miles, $30 within 60 miles and $60 within 110 miles. The director said the 110-mile cap avoids out-of-state routing to the airport and avoids directly competing with private airport providers.
Transit staff also discussed operational changes aimed at efficiency: limiting Saturday unlimited-baggage shopping trips given driver shortages; seeking Medicaid non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT) contracts to provide some higher-reimbursement trips; and continuing the sliding-fee scale for low-income riders. The director said many riders already qualify for the lower income tiers, so in-town increases may not meaningfully change revenue but the out-of-county and expanded-trip pricing will impact operating revenue and driver time.
The board set a tentative public hearing for the first meeting in September to consider the fare changes; staff will circulate the draft fare schedule and other supporting materials in advance so commissioners and the public can review them before the hearing.