Slight fee increases proposed for county transportation service, public hearing to be held

​YORK – This past week, Lori Byers from the York County Aging and Transportation Services, met with the York County Commissioners to discuss the possibility of slightly raising rider fees pertaining for trips inside and outside York County.

​She has been seeking additional funding for the department after being informed the amount of federal/state money coming in for operations will be slightly cut next year.
“I’m bring a draft proposal to you regarding these proposed changes and this will require a public hearing about these changes,” Byer said to the county board members. “I asked other providers throughout the state about their fares and the highest fare I saw was $3. The minimum required fare set by NDOT (Nebraska Department of Transportation) is $1. Ours is $2 now. I’m proposing going to $3. And there would still be a sliding fee scale (which would adjust a person’s fare based on their income).”
She is also proposing slight increases for trips out of county – such as $20 to go to Lincoln on Thursdays. And $60 with 110 miles.
She also mentioned she is looking at transports for non-emergency medical treatment trips for people with Medicaid and having some contracts signed to access more Medicaid dollars.
The upcoming public hearing will only pertain to the fares.
It looks as if the public hearing will be held during the commissioners’ first meeting in September.
“We are looking to be more efficient and meet the people’s needs, while also generating more funds,” Byers added.