A bill to suspend transportation fares for riders of Columbia’s GoCOMO public transit system is scheduled to be voted on Monday night by the city council.
GoCOMO has been operating fare free since the COVID pandemic began in March 2020. The city used federal CARES Act and American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) money to keep it fare free for a few years, and those funds have been expended.
City manager De’Carlon Seewood and GoCOMO officials, in the council packet, say they have the money to keep the bus system fare free for another year: they say they’ll use current transportation sales tax funding, a Federal Transit Administration (FTA) operating grant and a state operating grant.
The bill is expected to pass Monday night, since it’s on the council’s consent agenda. GoCOMO says ridership for their fixed route during fiscal year 2023 was 524,000, while ridership for paratransit in fiscal year 2023 was about 56,000.
