Teach A Man To Fish...

Speaking of passengers with special needs...

Did you know that out in the real world of free market capitalism, where you pay for that which you need, that passengers with special needs can call Access-a-Ride and get the attention they require?
Their fares run from $4.50 to $26.00 (One Way)

But in this age of entitlement, forget the real world and adopt socialism.
Where a man is forced to pay for an entitlement that he won't use, so that somebody else may use the entitlement for which he won't pay!

Rather than pay $4.50 each way, folks with Access-a-Ride cards hop on RTD buses for FREE, and still get far more attention than paying customers - at the cost of the paying customer by means of time and money.

When taxes are raised to pay for RTD and the fares are raised...keep in mind who is driving those raises:

It's the folks who demand discounts for various reasons, above and beyond the deserving and those in need.
It's the folks who refuse to pay their fares, who jump on with expired or invalid transfers, who buy discounted monthly passes but don't actually qualify then tell the Driver that their drug dealers boarding with them are the "Care Givers" or "companions" so they don't have to pay their fares either: those who board the bus pretending not to speak English or those who simply ignore the Driver and don't pay for their 98 kids who are boarding with them, and those who would rather ride for free at the expense of the Tax Payer, than pay for the actual service from Access-a-Ride.

These are they who steal from your pockets, from your kids mouths, from your family finances and paychecks, just so that they don't have to pay their fair Fares!
These are the reasons your rates are rising and your taxes are climbing.

Whether it's getting a free or discounted ride on the bus or a free or discounted visit to the doctor - it is those who feel entitled to your income who want you to pay more and more for their lifestyle choices.

I board and service at least 25% of my passengers each day who have Access-a-Ride cards.
99% of those (almost all of them) simply walk on the bus, show me their passes then walk off.
No idea on God's green Earth why they have that pass but they don't have to pay because of it.
On Access-A-Ride they'd be paying twice as much as you do on RTD but they don't want to pay, they want you to pay for them.
In fact, many of these passengers have "companions" with them - for who knows what reasons, I'm not allowed or supposed to ask or care - I simply allow them all to board without paying.

Because it is "politically correct" and it would be offensive to ask.

I truly am sorry for what seems to be an insensitive rant.
I truly believe that there are plenty of deserving and "in need" passengers who ride Access-a-Ride and for all I know, 100% of these folks who board my buses are deserving and in need of the service.

I just found it the perfect illustration of socialism, of the entitlement mindset that says that when given the option to carry their own weight, folks will make the choice of the "free" service that causes those who don't even use the service to support those who do use it.

We all know another tax hike and fare increase is coming.
And now we know just one more reason why.

As Always, "Welcome aboard, Take responsibility and Pay your danged Fare, Find your seats - Let's Roll!"