Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Transit topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Winchester finance panel backs forwarding transit fare increases after public comment
Summary
The Finance Committee voted to forward a resolution to City Council recommending higher fares for Winchester Transit routes, while extending the effective date to July 1, 2026, and asking staff for more ridership detail on youth and school trips.
The Winchester City Finance Committee voted to forward a resolution to City Council recommending increases to fares for Winchester Transit services and asked staff to provide more detailed ridership data on youth and school-related trips.
Perry Eisenach presented the resolution, saying recent service changes and budget choices could leave the transit program about $30,000 short this fiscal year unless fares are adjusted. The proposal raised the Loop route fare from $1.00 to $1.50, the Laurel Ridge route from $2.00 to $3.00, and the WinReady (on-demand) fare from $1.50 to $2.00. Staff said the public comment period was extended and included an open house, and that most comments received opposed increases on affordability grounds.
The discussion included operational performance data provided by Kenny Johnson and representatives from Via, the program’s platform provider. Staff reported improved performance since service changes in July: met-demand rates rose about 11 percentage points to nearly 92 percent, average wait time fell from 16 to 12 minutes, and completed-trip percentage rose about 15 points to above 70 percent. Staff also said late cancellations and “no-shows” remain a driver of inefficiency and are being discussed with Via; staff described possible operational responses such as automatic suspensions for repeat no-shows, but said any formal cancellation-fee policy would need Council approval.
Several council members pressed for more detail on the composition of riders receiving free rides (the system currently allows riders 17 and under to ride free). Staff said the “17 and under” category includes infants through age 17 and can include children traveling with families, and that roughly 65–70 free riders occur across services per day with peaks of about 2,000 free rides in July. Staff said new data tools from Via allow better origin–destination breakdowns and heat maps, and committed to providing more precise counts of how many 12–17-year-old riders travel to Winchester Public Schools (WPS) facilities or Laurel Ridge.
Committee members discussed timing and budget treatment. Several members favored delaying any fare increase’s effective date to July 1, 2026 so the change can be incorporated into the FY 2027 budget and give staff time to refine app policies and anti‑abuse measures. After discussion, the committee voted to forward the resolution to Council with a recommendation for approval and an effective date of July 1, 2026. Staff will provide the additional ridership and usage breakdowns requested for the Council packet.
Public comment preceding the item included remarks by Chris Johnson, who objected to fare increases while the jurisdiction continues to allow free rides for riders 17 and under and raised operational complaints about scheduling and paratransit ID rules. His remarks were recorded and provided to the committee during the public-comment period.
The forwarded packet will go to the full Council for final action, where detailed ridership breakdowns and staff recommendations on cancellation/no-show policy language will be available.
