Item 2d. Capital Metro fare capping and Equifare — original pdf

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Potential Fare Programs Hispanic/Latino Quality of Life Resource Advisory Commission | June 28, 2022 Agency Core Values INNOVATION EQUITY SUSTAINABILITY TRANSPARENCY SAFETY 2 Agenda • Fare Strategy Review • Potential Fare Programs powered by Amp • Fare Capping • Equifare • Title VI Analysis • Community Engagement • Next Steps 3 Fare Strategy Review Addresses transit affordability and other population needs (i.e., low income and per Title VI, race, color, etc.) Incorporates alternative fare structures (e.g., capped fares for all riders) Supports equity in future fare adjustments in alignment with Project Connect Integrated Financial Model Equity CapMetro Fare Strategy Technology Encourages increased ridership while maintaining sustainable revenue stream Maintains and creates programs for various demographics (e.g., senior citizens, military, employer- sponsored, ILAs) Encourages contactless payments, other innovations and integrations 4 CapMetro wants to make our fares more equitable. We know that our customers pay for their transit passes one trip at a time instead of taking advantage of the savings that come with day or monthly passes. Proposed Fare Programs powered by Amp Fare Capping Equifare Fare capping limits how much you pay for all your trips in a day, week or month. An additional discounted fare category for income-eligible customers 5 What is Fare Capping? Fare capping limits how much you pay for all your trips in a day, week or month. Fare capping makes sure that customers: • Never pay more than the total cost of a Day Pass in a calendar day • Never pay more than the total cost of a monthly pass in a calendar month 6 Here's how fare capping works on MetroBus: When you pay for 2 single rides in one day, you earn a Daily Cap and ride free the rest of the day. Your daily spending is capped at $2.50 total! 7 Fare Capping - Monthly Cap When you pay for 33 single rides in a calendar month, you earn a Monthly Cap, and ride free the rest of the month. • Your monthly spending is capped at $41.25 total! • Monthly Cap • 33 Paid Rides • 17 Days of Riding • Benefit: ride free up to 14 days per calendar month 8 How to Get Fare Capping: Amp Account • Get Amp, by physical card or CapMetro App • Load money to your account - this is called stored value! • Tap your card or scan your app to pay from your stored value, reducing your balance by the cost of a single ride • Amp tracks how many single rides you pay for to give you a Daily or Monthly Cap • Re-load money to Amp as needed online or at one of 250+ participating retailers or the Transit Store • You cannot use fare capping without Amp 9 Retailer Map CapMetro Retail Network 10 What Else Does Amp Do? In addition to fare capping, Amp gives eligible customers access to our two discounted fare programs: Current: Reduced Fare • 50% off Standard Fare transit passes for: o Seniors 65 and older* o Medicare card holders* o Active-duty military personnel o Riders with disabilities* Additional: Equifare (Proposed) • *50% rate required by FTA for these categories 11 What is Equifare? • A potential fare program that offers discounted fares for eligible customers • Eligible customers may apply online or at the Transit Store, and once they enroll, they will receive a discounted fare through the Amp account • Equifare customers will also be able to take advantage of fare capping – adding additional savings to riders each month *We want to hear from you: seeking best practices for eligibility and enrollment to reduce barriers to the program 12 New Fare Structure 13 How Should We Determine Eligibility? • Potential programs that could verify eligibility* • Medicaid Program • Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) • Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) • Telephone Lifeline Program • Travis County Comprehensive Energy Assistance Program (CEAP) • Medical Access Program (MAP) • Supplemental Security Income (SSI) • Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) • OR if you Household income less than 200% of Federal Poverty Level *Same eligibility requirements used for City of Austin Customer Assistance Program utility discounts. 14 Potential Equifare Best Practices • Self-verification (honor-based) • Online enrollment and application – best practices • Pop-up events • Income Verification documentation • Social service programs and organizations • Address and eligibility verification through local organization • 24-month rolling enrollment 15 Enrollment Questions & Considerations • What do we need to consider when we’re thinking about enrollment process? • What organizations or groups can we partner with for roll-out and implementation? • Agencies: How can CapMetro partner to help you enroll your clients? • What communities do we need to consider that would be impacted by these changes? 16 Title VI Analysis is posted to the CapMetro Website Result: Uncovered no Title VI Equity impacts Average Fare Analysis Findings • The systemwide change resulted in less than 1% difference between minority and non-minority customers, and between low-income and non-low- income riders (within the 2% of the CapMetro threshold) Retail Access Analysis Findings • The proposed reload locations are expected to benefit minority and low-income customers to a greater degree than non-minority and non-low- income customers • Not impacted by private retailer’s decision to not participate in CapMetro distribution 17 Next Steps • Equifare and Fare capping will be presented for board approval on July 25th. • Continued community engagement • Virtual community meetings • In-person community meetings • Agency meetings • 1:1 meetings with nonprofits, neighborhood associations, community leaders, etc. • We want to connect with community leaders and community-based organizations Let us know how we can work with you! 18 Share your program feedback: publicinput.com/fare-programs For questions or to request a meeting: engage@capmetro.org Thank you!