Free bus program OK’d for seniors and disabled veterans

BY PRU SOWERS

KONK LIFE STAFF WRITER

Key West senior citizens and disabled veterans received a break recently when city commissioners voted to grant them free bus service.

There are a few restrictions. Seniors must be 60 or older and apply for a Key West Transit Department-issued identification card or present proof of age and Key West residency to bus drivers. This free program applies to all city bus routes but not to the Lower Keys Shuttle.

For veterans, they must be 100 percent disabled as a result of their military service. The veteran free program applies to all city bus routes and includes service on the Lower Keys Shuttle. There are currently 172 veterans in that category living in Key West.

“This measure would be a way for our city to recognize those 100 percent disabled veterans who have served us and who have sacrificed themselves on our behalf,” said former city Commissioner Richard Payne, who worked with Commissioner Greg Davila to bring forth the resolution.

Payne went on to say the city’s senior population, many on a fixed income, often use the bus system to do grocery shopping and other chores. Saving the bus fare would help their household income, he said.

“Having these extra dollars will be a really big help to them, a benefit that many other Florida cities already have for their seniors,” Payne said.

Miami-Dade County is one area that offers free bus service to its senior residents.

Davila, who sponsored the resolution, said revenue loss resulting from the free bus program would be minimal. In 2018, fare box revenue from seniors totaled $22,751, an amount that presumably will be lost under the new program. That revenue amounted to 15 percent of total bus fare box collection in 2018. But the $22,751 figure translates into 0.0001 percent of the city’s total budget, Davila said.

“Almost literally, this is the least we can do,” he said.

While seniors account for 15 percent of bus fare revenue, they make up 29 percent of ridership. Fare discount programs result in the gap between revenue and ridership. For veterans, it’s not possible to separate out those who are 100 percent service-connected disabled from other reduced fare programs currently available, according to Rod Delostrinos, Key West Director of Transportation. Retired U.S. military and residents currently receiving social security and/or Medicare also qualify for reduced bus fare programs.

Davila added that the perception among some residents is that tourists receive more consideration than resident seniors, pointing to the Duval Loop, a bus route that is free to any rider but is focused on tourist-heavy parts of Old Town.

“The tourists can ride the Duval Loop for free but our seniors, who may need to go to the store to get some groceries, have to pay to get on the bus,” Davila said.

The free bus program was passed on a unanimous vote

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