GoBus Fare Increases Now in Place

KILGORE — Fare increases for the East Texas Council of Governments’ GoBus service are in effect beginning today. According to an ETCOG news release, on September 4th, the ETCOG Executive Committee considered the report on staff results from a two-month public hearing process and approved an increase in GoBus fares. The then-current rate of $2.00 per trip within a county and $5.00 per trip across counties had not been increased since 1997 when the average price of a gallon of gas was $1.25.

Officials say to help build program sustainability, The following one-way fares are now in effect:

$4.00 Within Local Service Area
$8.00 Adjacent Local Service Area
$10.00 Maximum One-way Fare
$1.00 for each additional stop – up to two permitted

ETCOG publicized and held fourteen public hearings throughout the region to give the public opportunity to comment on the proposed fare increase. The hearings were held at the Workforce Solutions East Texas center in each of the 14 counties served by ETCOG and had approximately twenty-five attendees region wide. ETCOG also accepted telephone and online public comments throughout the public hearing process.

Results from the public hearing process were shared in presentations to the ETCOG Executive Committee, EasTexConnects transportation committee, and the Rural Planning Organization comprising regional county judges and transportation representatives. Resulting from the public comments, the proposed fare increase was mitigated to apply the base fare to local service areas rather than just within a county. The local service areas more accurately reflect customer travel patterns, according to the news release. Also, the maximum one-way fare was set at $10.

Changes for Seniors

While an agreement between the Area Agency on Aging of East Texas and GoBus has permitted all seniors age 60 and over to ride free, funding constraints have forced the AAA and GoBus to enter into a new agreement for senior trips, officials say. Effective October 1, 2014, the Area Agency on Aging of East Texas can only pay for trips to medical appointments, dialysis, and senior centers for seniors who have qualified for AAA assistance. Seniors making a trip not covered by AAA or who have not qualified for AAA assistance must pay regular GoBus fares. To see if you qualify for AAA assistance, call GoBus at 800-590-3371.

Aside from fares, the total funding for GoBus comes from state and federal sources, with the exception of local contracts with the Area Agency on Aging of East Texas and Kilgore College for direct services and the City of Marshall to assist with funding its flex route system. For more information, contact ETCOG’s Director of Transportation, John O. Hedrick at John.Hedrick@etcog.org or (903) 218-6490.