TARC 2025 Accessible Materials

Ridership Concept

This concept connects the busiest parts of the region with the best possible bus service (every 15 minutes or better). On average, more people can get to more places sooner with this concept, so ridership will be higher, but it doesn’t cover as many people. This concept assumes no additional operating revenues, so it has 50% less service than the Spring 2024 TARC network. 

Coverage Concept

This concept expands the network to cover more area, but because there are so many routes, frequencies are low. Ridership is lower because people may not want to wait as long. This concept assumes no additional operating revenues, so it has 50% less service than the Spring 2024 TARC network.

Growth Concept

This concept provides more service than the Spring 2024 TARC network. It combines both the frequency of the Ridership Concept and the additional places and neighborhoods served by the Coverage Concept. The additional service dramatically increases how many useful destinations an average resident can reach in a given amount of time, while also maintain and expanding coverage. It would likely need at least $50 million more annually to operate.

TARC3 Service and the Concepts

These are just concepts so it’s too early to tell what effects there would be on paratransit. Any changes would be addressed in the draft plan.

But it’s important to note that the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) mandates that TARC provide paratransit service for individuals who have a disability that precludes them from riding the fixed-route and are within ¾ of a mile of a fixed route line. Any scenario that reduces TARC coverage would take away the federal right to paratransit for individuals who would then be outside of the 3/4 of a mile – which could then affect paratransit availability.

When TARC’s only dedicated local revenue source was established by Jefferson County voters in 1974, paratransit was not part of TARC’s service offerings. The federal government mandated the provision of paratransit service in 1990 but neither the federal, state, or local governments established any additional revenue to help TARC pay for the service.

Pop-up red box that reads "TARC proposes service reductions to take effect January 26, 2025"