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Fare Policy
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DESCRIPTION: Authorization of an agency fare policy
AGENDA NO: 22-137
ACTION REQUEST:
? Approval ? Review Comment ? Information Only ? Other
RECOMMENDATION:
recommendation
The New Orleans Regional Transit Authority (RTA) is committed to providing high-quality public transportation services for the benefit of the individuals and communities that it serves. This mission is funded in part by fare revenues from riders across its service area.
The recommendation is to authorize the Chief Executive Officer to implement the proposed Fare Policy that will establish transparent guidance for all Fare Elements and Fare-Related Decisions at RTA.
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ISSUE/BACKGROUND:
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In August 2021, RTA staff introduced the Coordinated Fare Modernization Initiative (CFMI) to develop a comprehensive and holistic approach to transforming RTA fare collection systems to improve the speed and quality of service, and to grow ridership. Adopting a fare policy is a key piece of this effort, providing an over-arching set of objectives to align present and future decision-making while also defining the responsibilities of the RTA in pursuit of informed, coherent fare-related decisions.
To develop a fare policy for the agency, RTA staff studied fare policies, fare reviews, and best practices from peer agencies across the country, with specific focus given to policies and reviews from SoundTransit in Seattle; TriMet in Portland, Oregon; SFMTA ("Muni") in San Francisco; IndyGo in Indianapolis; MBTA in Massachusetts; and the City of Tuscon. RTA organized a cross-departmental working group to study and draft a fare policy. Throughout the process, this working group convened inter-departmental groups to discuss specific operational questions (e.g. fare validation and proof of payment procedures). The policy was also subject to feedback from a higher-level steering group representing leadership from several departments and to final feedback from the senior leadershi...
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