Anchorage seniors will soon be able to ride the city’s People Mover bus for free two days a week.
On Tuesday night, the Anchorage Assembly voted to make bus rides free for people ages 60 and over on Fridays. Seniors can already ride for free on Wednesdays and receive a 50% discount on rides all other days.
Assembly member Erin Baldwin Day was one of the sponsors of the proposal, and said she hopes the extra free day could save the city money in the long run by discouraging seniors from using the city’s pricier AnchorRIDES service. Officials say that service for disabled and senior residents costs the city about $27 per ride, and Baldwin Day noted that the cost of the city’s contract with AnchorRIDES is going up.
“It's important for us to figure out creative ways to serve our population, particularly our elders, and to do so in a fiscally responsible way,” Baldwin Day said. “And if we can reduce the number of rides that are taken via AnchorRIDES because folks are riding the People Mover bus, then that is a net win, in my opinion.”
The move to make Fridays free for seniors comes after Assembly members added $100,000 to the city’s public transportation budget in November. The city then solicited public comments through its public safety advisory board, and the board ultimately voted to recommend Friday be a fare-free day for seniors.
The ordinance passed by a 10-to-2 vote, with members Scott Myers and Keith McCormick opposed. The ordinance takes effect 30 days after it passed, meaning the first new free bus day for seniors in Anchorage will be Friday, March 6.
