NE: See how much more you'll pay for public transportation in York County; low-income riders exempt

Public transportation fares will increase, Public Transportation Program Director Lori Byers announced.

Low-income York County residents — the majority of riders — will be exempt from the increases.

“It is really good (Byers) has figured out how to do it without really affecting the lowest income people,” Bradshaw resident Willard Peterson said.

For those who aren’t low income, rides within the City of York will increase from $2 to $3. Rides within York County will increase from $4 to $5.

The fare structure of out-of-county rides will be altered. Previously, rides within 60 miles cost $20, and rides within 120 miles cost $40. Now, the distances will be categorized as 30 miles or fewer, 30-60 miles and 60-110 miles, with fares of $15, $30 and $60 respectively.

This means that riders seeking to travel shorter distances outside of the county will no longer have to pay as much as they did before.

“We have a number of people who are just across the border from our county line and are coming into our county for services,” Byers said. “So we’re proposing a $15 per trip within 30 miles, which gets those people right across the border, and they’re not having to pay the big amount (for a ride within 60 miles).”

That also means the service will no longer offer rides between 110 and 120 miles away. This eliminates rides to the Omaha airport, which the Public Transportation Department can’t offer as efficiently as businesses can because drivers are not permitted to leave the state, requiring them to take a longer route. Byers concluded that it no longer makes sense to offer that service.

The department will offer a round-trip visit to Lincoln for $20 on Thursdays.

The fare increases are necessary to offset a reduction in state funding, Byers said. Besides, the fare increases are long overdue: “(Fares have) not kept up with inflation, because (the within-city-limits fare) has been $2 since 2011,” she said.

© 2025 York News-Times, Neb.
Visit www.yorknewstimes.com.
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.