Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, April 13, 1991 TAG: 9104130108
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER MUNICIPAL WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
King, who had polio as a baby, has to use vans equipped with wheelchair lifts to travel to her job as an account clerk for a women's clothing store in downtown Roanoke. Now that the city has begun charging a fee for those rides, she baby-sits several nights a week so she can afford to work.
Until last month, Valley Metro provided the vans free for King and nearly 100 other people with disabilities that prevent them from using buses.
Now there is a $1.50 fare.
Roanoke City Council approved the charge to help finance expansion of the van service requested by handicapped residents. Council members said it would be unfair to keep providing the service free while city residents were being asked to make financial sacrifices because of budget problems.
The decision will cost King $3 a day - the round-trip fare between the Lansdowne Park housing project where she lives and her job.
"It will mean $60 a month for me, which is about a good week's worth of groceries," she said.
"I don't know how much it's going to set me back, but I've started baby-sitting for a friend of mine four nights a week to help pay for it," she said. "I'm doing it as a favor for her, and she's doing it as a favor for me so I can make a little more money."
She has lived in Lansdowne for 15 years with her husband, Lloyd, who does woodworking jobs. Their son, Kyle, is a high school student.
King, 36, said council members don't understand the financial hardship of the $1.50 fare on handicapped people.
"If they switched places with us for a day and could see the other side of the coin, I think it would be a different story," she said.
"I don't think it is fair. The fare ought to be the same as the regular $1 bus fare, or lower."
King thinks the $1.50 charge discriminates against those in wheelchairs who can't use buses. "It is not our fault we have to use the vans."
Handicapped and elderly passengers who ride buses pay 50 cents.
Stephen Mancuso, Valley Metro's general manager, said the $1.50 fare covers the same proportion of the cost for van service as the 50-cent fares cover for regular bus service. Both are heavily subsidized by federal, state and city funds. The cost of providing the vans averages $10.27 per trip, he said.
King said those who ride vans to go to the doctor or hospital should ride free. Some people use them to travel to kidney dialysis centers. "That is a life-or-death situation, and I don't think it is fair to charge them," she said.
King used to rely on the van service to go shopping or for other trips, but no more.
"When I wanted to go to Tanglewood [Mall] or somewhere else, I would use the vans, but I can't afford it now," she said. She gets friends to take her shopping.
The bus system contracts with Roanoke Agencies Dial-A-Ride, a transportation company for social service agencies in the Roanoke Valley, to supply and operate the vans.
King was in the audience recently when about 40 handicapped people pleaded unsuccessfully with council to lower the fare.
Councilman James Harvey said he wished the city could keep providing the vans free, but the financial squeeze requires "everyone to share in the burden we are facing."
"If you find it is an absolute hardship and taking bread off your table, I think we will reconsider it," Harvey said.
Council members said they might review the fare after Valley Metro finishes work on its budget for the new fiscal year. Councilman David Bowers wanted to reduce the fare to $1 immediately, but he couldn't get a second for his motion.
Mancuso said the $1.50 fare will cover part of the the cost of the expanded hours of van service. Some handicapped organizations had complained that reservations had to be made a week in advance because of the heavy demand.
Mancuso said the demand has increased rapidly in recent months. In the past, many community agencies used their own vehicles to transport handicapped clients, but some started using the vans because of budget cuts and funding problems, he said.
by CNB