JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Tuesday night, neighbors got a chance to bring their concerns about JTA directly to the authority. This comes after several public meetings to inform residents about proposed rising JTA fare costs and route changes.
A pamphlet given to residents shows nearly every cost associated with riding is increasing. Some programs like 3-day passes, express fare, and reduced express fare will be eliminated if passed.
Some neighbors are concerned about the route changes.
“I’ve been riding for 23 years, and I want it to be the best service in the country. And students depend on it; we’ve had students speak. We’ve had elderly speak,” said Aileen Miller, who lives on Jacksonville’s southside.
Miller has been a consistent JTA rider for decades. The changes proposed for route 23 near her home concern her.
“The 23 is the only one that runs north, south. So, we don’t want to cut that or change it so that we make sure somebody could get in any part of the city that they need to go,” Miller said.
Other neighbors like Lydia Bell, who lives on the north side, say her JTA concerns go beyond the costs.
“We have passengers, senior citizens sitting on the ground waiting for JTA, sitting on garbage cans waiting, standing for long periods of time,” Bell said.
Action News Jax asked Cheryl Riddick, the director of customer experience with JTA, how public comment about the route and fare changes will be used.
“It’s considered and then the final proposal is prepared for the board of directors to review and vote on,” Riddick said.
She says bus fares haven’t changed in about 7 years.
“We haven’t had a cost or a fare increase since 2019. And we have added so many services. For customers along the way. So, as they said in The Lion King, it is time,” Riddick said. “There are costs to take into consideration for running a public transit authority. And so that really is the reason we have to be able to meet the needs of our customers.”
Several route changes are currently proposed to take effect this October.
You can find them here.
>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<
[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]
[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
