TARC 2025 Accessible Materials – Draft
Limited Plan
Limited Plan would provide significantly reduced service compared to today, but at a level TARC is confident existing revenues can support. This is a barebones plan that TARC hopes to not have to implement. Fortunately, thanks to the recent cost cutting measures, TARC projects that this plan would only have to be implemented as a last resort if no additional funding is identified by 2030.
- For a text description of the Limited Plan including major roads and destinations, please click here.
Enhanced Plan
The Enhanced Plan would see slightly reduced service levels from today but with a redesigned network that would provide better access to jobs than the current network – as well as better coverage and connectivity than the Limited Plan. It will also provide service to all JCPS magnet high schools. While the Enhanced Plan provides better service than the Limited Plan, TARC could not maintain it indefinitely without additional funding. If TARC were to implement the Enhanced Plan in the summer of 2026, it would buy the region time until 2030 to determine if more investment is needed in transit. After that, if no more funding were available, TARC would need to cut service again.
- For a text description of the Enhanced Plan including major roads and destinations, please click here.
Growth Plan
If the region determines to prioritize significant new investment in transit, TARC could implement the Growth Plan – which would see a sizeable increase in service levels, access to jobs, frequency and coverage. The Growth Plan is intended to be more of a long-term vision for regional transit and shows what the region would be able to achieve with ample new investment in transit
- For a text description of the Growth Plan including major roads and destinations, please click here.
TARC3 Service and the Draft Plans
Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, TARC is required to provide complementary paratransit service for any eligible customer with a disability for any trip that is within three-fourths of a mile of fixed route bus service. When TARC’s only dedicated local revenue source was established by Jefferson County voters in 1974, paratransit was not part of TARC’s service offerings. The federal government mandated the provision of paratransit service in 1990 but neither the federal, state, or local governments established any additional revenue to help TARC pay for the service.
In both the Enhanced and Limited Networks, the area covered by TARC routes would decline, which would reduce the minimum required service area where TARC must provide paratransit service to people with disabilities. TARC could choose to continue serving areas beyond the three-fourths of a mile zone around its routes.
TARC’s paratransit service is branded as “TARC3” and serves about 1,300 trips per weekday today.
- In the Enhanced Network, about 34% of current paratransit trips would no longer be within the three-fourths of a mile zone. TARC would not be required to serve these trips anymore.
- In the Limited Network, about 44% of trips would no longer be within the three-fourths of a mile zone. TARC would not be required to serve these trips anymore.
The cost to maintaining paratransit service in areas beyond the three-fourths of a mile minimum coverage zone is an additional $5 to $7 million per year. Local, regional, or state funding partners could provide TARC with this funding to maintain the current paratransit service area.
The current standard fare for paratransit trips is $3.00, whereas the average paratransit trip costs TARC about $46. Under federal rules, TARC cannot charge more than double the fixed-route fare for paratransit trips inside the three-fourths of a mile zone.
There are several options to address this significant cost to TARC for paratransit services. Additional tax or funding measures could be explored to maintain the current paratransit service area. TARC could also charge a higher fare for trips outside that zone to help support the cost of continued paratransit service to those areas. TARC is asking the public to consider these options, we encourage you to voice your opinion in the Draft Plan Survey.