East Ridge council weighs steep CARTA "Caravan" cost jump, directs staff to seek narrower, lower‑cost options

City Manager Brian Miller told the East Ridge City Council on April 20 that the Chattanooga Area Regional Transportation Authority (CARTA) has told the city the per‑ride cost for the Caravan paratransit service could rise sharply and that the city must decide how much to budget for next year.

Miller said the city currently averages about 3,200 Caravan trips a year and that CARTA’s internal cost estimate runs about $53.45 per trip; CARTA offered to charge the city $47 per one‑way trip if East Ridge agrees. “If you’re looking at $47 a trip on your 3,200 trips, you’re looking at about $150,000,” Miller said. He told the council the city’s current fiscal‑year appropriation for the service is small (previously paid from ARPA and grant funds) and that he had tentatively penciled $100,000 into next year’s budget while seeking more information and options.

Why it matters: the Caravan provides rides primarily for seniors and people with disabilities. A sudden price increase would require either a large budget increase, reductions to the service, or both. Councilors pressed staff for alternatives that would preserve critical medical trips while reducing discretionary or higher‑cost uses.

What the council discussed

- Funding history and drivers of the increase: Miller said some grant and ARPA funding that previously subsidized the service has ended, and Hamilton County did…