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Fountain Hills considers Ride Choice changes after trip volume triples; council backs classic model and ADA certification
Summary
Valley Metro’s Ride Choice trips rose from ~900 in FY22 to ~3,000 in FY25. Staff said lottery funds (~$60K) won’t cover a projected $160K program cost for FY27; council directed staff to shift to the Classic/mileage model, require ADA certification, and return with budget estimates for a July FY27 implementation and one‑year evaluation.
Dave Trimble, who oversees the town’s Ride Choice program, told the council the service—launched in 2015 to help seniors and people with disabilities—has grown sharply in recent years. Trimble said funding sources have shifted: the program historically used a mix of Public Transportation Funds and Arizona Lottery Funds, and under recent Prop 479 guidance some prior funding avenues are no longer available. Current lottery funding for Ride Choice is about $60,000 a year, but Trimble estimated program costs could approach $160,000 given recent ridership, producing a potential shortfall in excess of $100,000 for the next fiscal year.
Trimble and councilmembers discussed options to reduce demand or spread cost: (1) revert to the Classic Ride Choice fare model (which raises the rider portion on longer trips), (2) require ADA certification so only ADA‑qualified riders use the service, (3) add eligibility criteria such as income or medical‑need prioritization, (4) raise the minimum age, or (5) put general‑fund dollars into the program. Staff described that the mileage pricing change and a low rider fare had made out‑of‑town trips economically attractive and likely drove much of the recent growth.
Council direction coalesced around a near‑term plan: transition to the Classic/mileage Ride Choice model combined with an ADA‑certification process to better limit eligibility, implement changes through the FY27 IGA with Valley Metro (target July 2027), and collect better usage and demographic data for 12 months. Council judged medical trips and those without other options should be preserved; several members advocated means‑testing or income thresholds as a later refinement. Valley Metro indicated it could hold ADA certification workshops locally to reduce barriers to qualifying.
Staff will return with an amended IGA and budget estimates for the FY27 work plan; if the council wants to fund part of the program from the general fund staff will present options and likely ranges.
