CONCERNED CITIZENS OF PARATRANSIT [email protected] STANDING UP FOR ACCESSIBLE TRANSPORTATION

Paratransit is extremely important as are suburban PACE and METRA services - please preserve them.

My son has a disability and relies on these services. Please don’t take away services that disabled people NEED!

I am strongly recommending that RTA and Pace come up with a more viable plan to make up the short-fall deficit that is less harmful to the paratransit riders.

People sometimes have several RT medical appts & grocery trips during the week. Please reconsider becausr the consequences would a great disadvantage for seniors with diabilities like myself.

With one ride a day, how does my daughter get home from work? Pace, ADA and Ride DuPage are so unreliable as to be a joke. The Uber RAP program is the only thing that has actually worked for us.... And removing it means the state of Illinois will have to once again start spending a lot of money on people like my daughter. Removing a program, and costing the state more money, is counterproductive

Please don’t cut the support for people with disabilities.

Please don’t not cut this service. These individuals need reliable and low cost services to be able to participate in community services, jobs, and crucial life activities.

Heard the strong public comments at the 8/21 RTA Board Meeting - great job coming out in numbers!

RAP allows me to access several appointments a day ADA ParaTransit is unable to. I also use RAP to take my Daughter to daycare. Which equivocates to 4 trips a day. Without this, I would have to quit my job to keep my Daughter in educationally needed programs for her.

The highest at risk groups should not be the cutting board

We SENIORS & THE DISABLED NEED THESE SERVICES MORE THAN ANYONE. FOR ME, PARATRANSIT IS A LIFELUNE. I DEPEND ON IT DAILY. PLEASE DO NOT DISRUPT THIS VALUABLE. RESOURCE IN ANY WAY.

Why would we remove access to transportation for people who need it most? It’s cruel, inhumane, irrational, and makes the world a harsher place. Do better.

we need this service

America is far too expensive and this change would make it harder to live life for many people.

Public Comment: Protecting Paratransit Integrity Amid Budget Adjustments As a longtime advocate for accessible infrastructure, I urge Pace and the RTA to approach the current paratransit budget shortfall with precision and transparency. The success of the Rideshare Access Program (RAP) and Taxi Access Program (TAP) reflects a deeper truth: when transit is flexible, affordable, and dignified, people use it—not out of convenience, but necessity. Curtailing these programs now would penalize riders for choosing independence. That’s not just a budgetary decision—it’s a disruption of agency. I ask that you: - Maintain full funding for traditional ADA paratransit services. - Preserve RAP and TAP access for those who rely on them as their primary mode of transit. - Engage riders directly in shaping the future of these programs. - Align funding models with actual usage, not outdated projections. Transit is more than logistics—it’s civic architecture. Every access point is a reflection of our values. Let this moment be a reaffirmation of equity, not a retreat from it. Respectfully, Bob Peterson Rock Island, IL

Thank you.

I beleive there are other ways to make custs and be smarter about how it impacts folks, could we tie the cost increase to whether or not someon is eligible for the Benefit access Program for example and leave theirs at the reduced rate? In addition, please be smarter about the number of rides per day and allow people t at least get to and from work, with at least one errand per day, so limit it to 4 trips per day rather than the severe cuts you proposed? That's still cutting the trips in half which does seem quite extreme.

No cuts or reduced service to public or paratransit!

None at this time thank you

Restricting TAP and Rap riders would lead to unequal treatment of people with disabilities.