| Progress! We're pleased to make the update that the JTA Board of Directors voted to postpone any Connexion Plus fare modification until after April 1st. There will be no change to the Connection Plus service or fare at this time. A special Board of Directors subcommittee is being formed to meet with advocates, customers and other potential partners so that the JTA can continue to provide and sustain this premium service. Full details from JTA provided further below. Thank you to every rider, family member, advocate, and ally who spoke up. Your voices moved the process. Now we have to keep that same momentum to ensure the final outcome protects access, affordability, and quality of life for people with disabilities. CIL Jacksonville and disability community advocates will continue showing up: City Council Meeting Tuesday, January 27 5:00pm - 9:00pm (please arrive at 4pm) Council Chamber, City Hall 117 W. Duval St., Jacksonville, FL 32202 No speaking required; your presence alone is tremendous support! CIL Jacksonville will be handing out free t-shirts to show solidarity To help us with advocacy for this issue, please leave your feedback at 904.399.8484 ext. 319 (voice message line). Thank you for helping ensure this information reaches all those who may be impacted. Thank you — and keep going Kind regards, CIL Jacksonville |
| A Special Message from the JTA |
| Dear Paratransit Customer, The JTA is grateful for the feedback we received from dozens of Connexion Plus users and advocates. The JTA understands how important this premium service is to offering independence to people in our community. We are pleased to inform you that, today, the JTA Board of Directors voted to postpone any Connexion Plus fare modification until after April 1st. There will be no change to the Connection Plus service or fare at this time. During our community meetings, several people asked for more time to figure out how they will handle the proposed changes to the Connexion Plus fare structure. We heard everyone who made their voices heard and participated in our public input meetings. Today’s action is a result of the JTA’s collaboration with the paratransit community and we look forward to continuing the conversation so that we can find a reasonable solution that is mutually agreeable. A special Board of Directors subcommittee is being formed to meet with advocates, customers and other potential partners so that the JTA can continue to provide and sustain this premium service. We will be in touch with you on next steps and members of the community are still able to share their feedback on our Fare Modification Pilot Program webpage here. Again, thank you for sharing your feedback. We look forward to working with the paratransit community and finding a compromise that works best for everyone. For more information please see the press release below. - The Jacksonville Transportation Authority |
| JACKSONVILLE TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY BOARD OF DIRECTORS VOTES TO POSTPONE CONNEXION PLUS FARE MODIFICATION UNTIL APRIL |
| JTA staff will continue to examine fares and meet with customers, stakeholders and advocates on potential solutions; All other elements of the Fare Modification Pilot Program will begin February 1 as planned |
| (Jacksonville, FL – January 22, 2026) The Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) will postpone one element of the Fare Modification Pilot Program, keeping pricing stable for the premium, private-ride Connexion Plus service until April 1, 2026. The decision was made Thursday after the JTA held several public meetings where paratransit customers shared their stories of how they rely on Connexion Plus. “We listened and we heard you,” JTA Board of Directors Chair Aundra Wallace said. The rest of the Fare Modification Pilot Program, which includes significant fare reductions for the majority of JTA customers, including the shared-ride Connection paratransit service, will begin Feb. 1 as originally approved by the board in December. Connexion is the City of Jacksonville’s paratransit service provided by the JTA. Connexion delivers destination-to-destination, shared public transportation for people with disabilities who are functionally unable to use fixed-route services for their transportation needs, and for people who are transportation disadvantaged (TD). In 2019, the JTA launched Connexion Plus, a premium, on-demand, private (non- shared), same-day, door-to-door service, much like an Uber/Lyft ride, for eligible ADA or TD customers. This is the second major change to Connexion Plus in response to community input since the JTA’s series of community meetings began this month. The JTA initially proposed combining Connexion Plus with the JTA’s original Connexion paratransit service which today offers many of the same services as Connexion Plus. After hearing community concerns at the JTA’s public input meetings, the JTA staff on Jan. 12 proposed keeping the service with a modified fare structure. During Thursday’s Board of Directors meeting, Wallace asked staff to postpone the Connexion Plus fare changes while staff continued to work with customers and partners on a fare structure that works best for everyone. The Board unanimously approved the postponement today. The total cost of Connexion Plus was $2.8 million in Fiscal Year (FY) 2022. Last year, Connexion Plus cost $6.3 million, an increase of 124%. Costs are projected to top $8 million in 2026. With the proposed fare modification structure, the JTA would still cover more than 75 percent of the cost for the average Connection Plus ride. JTA Board Secretary Max Glober will lead a Board subcommittee that will examine ridership and work with staff on fares and community partnerships to sustain the Connexion Plus program. “I am confident we’ll find a solution,” JTA CEO Nat Ford said during the JTA’s Board of Directors meeting. More information about the JTA’s Fare Modification Pilot Program is available here. |
| ### About the Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) The Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) is an independent state agency serving Jacksonville, Florida, and Northeast Florida with multi-modal responsibilities. The JTA provides varied mass public transit services and builds roads, bridges, and other infrastructure to enhance mobility in Jacksonville. Public transportation services include BRT and regular bus service, Neighborhood Autonomous Vehicle Innovation (NAVI), paratransit, the St. Johns River Ferry, Skyway APM, and other mobility and on-demand services in Duval, Clay, Nassau, and St. Johns counties. To learn more, visit www.jtafla.com.  |
