JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville Transportation Authority will keep its premium Connexion Plus service but introduce a new fare structure to help cover rising operating costs, the agency announced Thursday.
The decision came midway through two weeks of community meetings about the JTA’s Fare Modification Pilot Program, which begins Feb. 1.
“We hold these meetings to hear directly from our customers and adjust our plans based on what matters most to them,” JTA CEO Nat Ford said. “We heard you loud and clear. Your feedback helped shape a solution that preserves this valued service while allowing the JTA to responsibly manage costs.”
Under the proposal, riders would pay $10 for the first 8 miles and $3.50 per mile thereafter. The current fare is $6 for the first 15 miles and $2 per mile thereafter. The average Connexion Plus trip is 8 miles, and the JTA says it will still cover more than 75 percent of the cost for that ride.
JTA said Connexion Plus cost $2.8 million in fiscal 2022. Last year the service cost $6.3 million, an increase of 124 percent. Costs are projected to top $8 million in 2026.
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During the six-month pilot, Connexion Plus customers will be limited to a maximum of 40 trips per month. Ninety-six percent of Connexion Plus customers are currently under that threshold; the customer average is 13 trips a month.
JTA staff said they will monitor ridership and trends and gather public feedback during the pilot, and make that data available to the public.
The agency had initially proposed combining Connexion Plus with its original Connexion paratransit service, which offers many of the same services. After public input at the meetings, staff proposed the revised rate structure to allow the premium, private Connexion Plus service to continue.
Connexion is the City of Jacksonville’s paratransit service provided by the JTA. It delivers destination-to-destination, shared public transportation for people with disabilities who are functionally unable to use fixed-route services and for people who are transportation disadvantaged.
In 2019, the JTA launched Connexion Plus, a premium, on-demand, nonshared, same-day, door-to-door service for eligible Americans with Disabilities Act or transportation-disadvantaged customers, similar to an Uber or Lyft ride.
Of more than 7,900 Connexion customers, 52 percent use only Connexion, 32 percent use only Connexion Plus and 16 percent use both. In fiscal 2025, Connexion logged 284,074 trips and Connexion Plus logged 202,908 trips.
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