MANATEE, Fla. — Facing higher demand for services in Manatee, county officials are proposing increasing its Handy Bus paratransit services from $2 to $3 each way, as well increasing rates for transportation disadvantaged services and veterans transportation, which would generate an additional $78,700 in fare revenue, reported the Bradenton Herald.

Some users of the service worry that "some necessities may have to be eliminated to afford the higher fare," according to the report.

Ryan Suarez, county transit planning manager, calls the proposed fare, which hasn't been changed since 1996, a "modest increase." In September, the county Handy Bus averaged 450 riders per day, Suarez said, which "far exceeds what we are capable of doing," the Bradenton Herald reported.

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