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Arlington council approves Handy Tran, on-demand fare changes after public hearing
Summary
After a public hearing in which dozens of riders and advocates warned a fare increase would hurt seniors and people on fixed incomes, Arlington City Council voted to raise Handy Tran by $1 per ride and adopt distance-based fares for on-demand service, replacing monthly passes with discounted ride-credit bundles to begin March 2, 2026.
Arlington City Council voted Jan. 6 to approve a restructuring of fares for the city’s Handy Tran paratransit and on-demand transportation services, a change staff said will take effect March 2, 2026.
Alicia Winkelblick, director of transportation, told the council the proposal raises Handy Tran fares from $2 to $3 per ride and establishes a distance-based on-demand structure of $3–$8 per trip, with many trips remaining at $3–$5. The proposal would replace monthly and weekly passes with nonexpiring ride-credit bundles sold at a discount (for example, a $30 credit for $25 and a $90 credit for $65). Staff said 52% of trips fall in the 0–4.5 mile range and that the city followed Federal Transit Administration public-notice requirements and received 102 public comments during the outreach period.
The changes were presented as a way to…
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