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An Altoona woman who complained about her son paying twice last year’s fare to ride an Amtran bus to school was happy to learn Monday about a cost-saving pass.

Karen Heininger of the 100 block of Howard Avenue shared the news with other parents, who also were thankful.

Heininger and her son, a 10th-grader, live about two miles from Altoona Area High School, so he doesn’t ride for free. Last year, he paid $1.20 round trip, which she considered reasonable.

Now he pays $2.60 a day, which has “infuriated” her.

“A big chunk of change,” said Heininger, a single parent.

She insists that her 15-year-old son should ride to school because they live in a “tough neighborhood,” and the route includes an area with drug dealers, she said.

Amtran raised the price for students in June in conjunction with a nickel base-fare increase, along with an overhaul of routes, in response to a shortfall in state funding, General Manager Eric Wolf said.

Under the old fare plan, students up to age 18 qualified for special fare, about half-price, or 60 cents a trip.

Under the new plan, only students up to age 11 and disabled people qualify for the half-price category, which is now 65 cents a trip, while students age 12 and older pay full adult fare.

The authority made the change in keeping with the practices of most other transit systems, Wolf said.

As a compromise, the authority offered a student punch pass that gives 12 rides for $10, or 83 cents a trip, Wolf said.

“That would be incredible,” Heininger said about the prospective savings.

It will cost her $1.66 a day, 38 percent more than last year, but much less than the 116 percent increase her son has been paying.

“I wish I had known,” said Heininger, who asked Amtran about alternatives, but either misunderstood the pass or got bad information.

She suggested the school district explain options at the beginning of the year.

Amtran plans to raise the pass price gradually during the next couple years, maybe 25 cents a year, Wolf said.

Aside from the increased cost, Heininger has no complaints about Amtran.

“Amtran’s awesome,” she said.

Wolf and Amtran Transportation Director Maureen Gilbert were sympathetic to families like the Heiningers.

“It’s one of the tragedies” for those that don’t live quite far enough away from school,” Gilbert said.

While secondary students must live at least two miles away or on a hazardous route, elementary students must live only a mile and a half from school to get free transportation, according to the district’s Web site.

The state reimburses districts for transporting those students who live at least those distances away, according to the Pennsylvania Public School Code.

 

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