RTD sued over plan to start charging for Access-on-Demand rides for people with disabilities

Metro Denver residents with disabilities gathered outside the federal courthouse Monday after asking a federal judge to block the Regional Transportation District s restructuring of its Access-on-Demand system which has provided free rides using commercial services such as Uber and Lyft Their lawsuit filed in U S District Court seeks a preliminary injunction to stop RTD from implementing a base fare for riders who use the system because it would embody what the plaintiffs allege is illegal disparate therapy Attorneys representing the Atlantis public and American Disabled for Attendant Programs In contemporary times an advocacy group known as ADAPT argue that transit representatives have increased fares and reduced the hours for Access on Demand arrangement for riders with disabilities while reducing fares by to for riders without disabilities They contend this violates the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act They also contend RTD has violated the will of metro Denver voters who last year approved Ballot Measure A allowing RTD to retain revenues that otherwise should have been refunded in part to sustain transit for riders with disabilities RTD s changes unfairly target the people who need transit largest part of all attorney Mari Newman declared Constituents transit with equal access for all residents is not a privilege It is a right RTD agents declared they ve received the complaint and are reviewing it The agency remains committed to serving the transit necessities of all customers who rely on its bus rail and paratransit services agency spokeswoman Tina Jaquez announced It s the latest advancement in a multi-year struggle between RTD and riders with disabilities Despite a barrage of populace opposition RTD directors in September voted to implement the restructuring starting Jan The directors set a base fare of for the rides reduced the maximum per-ride subsidy from to for up to rides per month and cut the availability by two hours across RTD s -mile organization area Let s make RTD relevant for everyone After all everyone is paying for it commented Dawn Russell organizer for ADAPT and a plaintiff in the lawsuit The lawsuit states that due to RTD s changes multiple Coloradans with disabilities will be thoroughly unable to access RTD s services Access-on-Demand is the only way that various Coloradans with disabilities are able to utilize RTD s masses transit system RTD is singling out riders with disabilities by drastically increasing the costs and cutting the services of Access-on-Demand while at the same time enjoying revenue that is supposed to be used to maintain services for disabled riders and even reducing the cost of services for Coloradans without disabilities RTD Chief Executive and General Manager Debra Johnson recommended the changes to make Access-on-Demand financially viable She had commissioned a peer review of RTD s campaign by bureaucrats at other U S transit agencies They concluded that RTD should restructure it to ensure financial sustainability Access-on-Demand costs about million out of the annual RTD s budget of around billion Related Articles RTD grapples with illicit drugs and the use of buses and trains as shelters Parade of Lights to impact Denver RTD bus rail lines RTD approves record high billion budget but faces deficit amenity cuts feasible Fuel tanker crash disrupts RTD light rail function in southeast corridor RTD bus and train riders can now pay by tapping their credit cards Monthly rides taken using Access-on-Demand have increased to more than according to RTD records That s more than times the ridership when agency directors launched the activity five years ago We need to stop RTD s gravy train noted lawsuit plaintiff Claudia Folska a former RTD board member The looming imposition of base fares in January is sending absolute fear to riders with disabilities who count on the rides to be able to live independently Folksa stated It s causing anxiety and panic People have to figure out what to do They are counting on us to secure an injunction A lot of them don t even have a job A lot of them are living on a tight fixed income Get more Colorado news by signing up for our Mile High Roundup email newsletter