A program which provided fare-free transit trips for seniors of age 65 and over will be ending effective October 1, 2011.
The Seniors FREEdom program, which began in 2006, was a partnership in which Knox County government paid fares for seniors to ride the KAT bus routes. Since the program began, KAT and Knox County have provided over 680,000 transit trips for seniors with the program, averaging between 8,000 and 10,000 trips per month.
While fares for seniors will no longer be free after September 30, KAT General Manager Cindy McGinnis states, "Seniors are able to ride KAT fixed routes at half the regular adult fare, that is $0.75 per trip. Seniors can purchase unlimited-ride one day passes for $2.00. KAT regrets that some seniors will have to spend more effort planning their travel. KAT wants to assure the community that it takes its fare collection responsibility seriously and appreciates that most passengers realize the incredible value of supporting and utilizing public transportation."
After September 30, seniors aged 65 and over can ride KAT for half-fare using their Seniors FREEdom ID card or a Medicare card as identification. For more information the public can visit www.katbus.com or call 865-637-3000.
The new Knox County proposed budget does not continue funding for the Seniors FREEdom program, which covers bus fares for seniors age 65 and over, effectively ending the program as of October.
Seniors FREEdom was a partnership launched by former Knox County Mayor Ragsdale in 2006, as part of his "No Senior Left Behind" initiative. In the program, Knox County covered bus fares of seniors using Knoxville Area Transit, at a cost of approximately $75,000 annually. The program's budget was reduced to $25,000, covering rides only through September of this year.
Seniors taking advantage of the program equated to between 8,000 and 10,000 rides on KAT per month. Effective in October, these seniors will now be paying the regular discounted senior fare of $0.75 per ride – half of regular KAT fares.
"We understand that difficult choices must be made in these challenging financial times for governments," says Cindy McGinnis, KAT General Manager. "We want to be sure our senior passengers know that this is coming, and begin budgeting for this October change."
