Drafter
Clerk 10/19/2017
Title
A MOTION directing the transit division to increase efforts to enroll eligible adults in the ORCA LIFT program before July 1, 2018.
Body
WHEREAS, King County, through Ordinance 17757, instituted a program for low-income transit fares, and
WHEREAS, Motion 14246 accepted the Low-Income Fare Program Implementation Plan, which required progress reports on the program after the first year of operations, and twelve and twenty-four months later, and
WHEREAS, the ORCA LIFT program was launched in February 2015, offering low-income fares for individuals and families earning up to two hundred percent of the federal poverty level, and
WHEREAS, over 50,000 people are enrolled in ORCA LIFT as of August 2017, and
WHEREAS, King County, through Proposed Ordinance 2017-0350, is considering a transit fare change to eliminate the zone and peak fare price differentials and implement a regular flat fare of $2.75, which represents a $0.25 increase in the regular off-peak fare, and
WHEREAS, riders who travel during the off-peak who do not use a subsidized transit pass would be adversely impacted by the change, and
WHEREAS, outreach about the fare change proposal determined that a minority of people surveyed consider a $2.75 flat fare unaffordable, some of who may qualify for discounted fares through ORCA LIFT, and
WHEREAS, increasing enrollment in ORCA LIFT would eliminate the adverse impact of a flat $2.75 regular fare for some of the most price sensitive riders, particularly for riders who travel during the off-peak time period;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT MOVED by the Council of King County:
A. The council directs the transit division to increase ORCA LIFT outreach and enrollment efforts before July 1, 2018, with the efforts aimed at transit riders most likely to be adversely impacted by an increase in the off-peak fare, such as workers with nontraditional working hours, university and college students and occasional riders.
B. The council di...

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