Merrill Transit Commission approves six-month $1 fare trial for veterans

The Merrill Transit Commission approved a six-month pilot program to allow veterans to ride transit within the city for $1 per trip, funded in advance from a veterans organization account. Commissioners voted to run the trial from July through December and to review results at the commission’s January meeting.

Commissioners and staff said veterans would need to complete documentation to qualify (examples discussed included veteran notation on a driver’s license, a VA card or retired-card), and staff emphasized that qualifying riders would be entered into the system so they would not need to show documents for every trip. "Once they would qualify, they would automatically be in the system," the Chair said.

An organizer explained that the veterans organization would pre-fund the account used to pay the transit agency; staff confirmed the veterans account balance was low (around $34–$38) and that organizers would be asked to fund the account in advance. Commissioners recommended a trial period to monitor usage and potential abuse and discussed safeguards including recordkeeping and periodic billing to the sponsoring veterans group.

The motion instructed staff to run a six-month trial, with the veterans organization covering the program costs during the trial, and to return to the commission after the period for a recap and decision on continuation or changes.

Eligibility and administration details — what documents are acceptable, how daily billing will be tracked and whether a new internal funding source will be created — were discussed and remain to be finalized by staff before the program starts.