LANTA will hold a public hearing at noon Aug. 7 to collect public comments on a proposed fare increase in its paratransit bus service that would cost most riders between 15 and 45 cents more per trip, according to the transit authority's chief.

The biggest change, said LANTA Executive Director Owen O'Neil, is riders who have paid a flat fee would begin to pay more based on the distance traveled.

O'Neil said about 50 percent of riders will see the one-way fare go from $3.35 to $3.50 for travel up to 4 miles, a 4.5 percent jump. For riders who travel up to 8 miles, the fare will climb to $3.80 – 45 cents or 13.4 percent more.

O'Neil said those two mileage tiers cover about 80 percent of the riders. About 1,800 residents use the door-to-door bus service daily, he said.

Anyone who uses the service to travel greater than 8 miles would pay a stepped-up fare ranging from $4.10 per trip to $6.20 per trip. The top payment means a 54.3 percent increase for someone who rides more than 36 miles one way. O'Neil said the top zone affects about 1 percent of riders.

"By going to the zones, we were able to minimize the fare increase for a significant number of people," said O'Neil. "If you are traveling further, you pay more," said O'Neil, calling it a more equitable system.

O'Neil said the state began implementing a new software program for paratransit schedules that requires bus authorities like LANTA to use the zone-based fares. The fare hike, which LANTA wants to put into effect Oct. 1, is being sought to cover operating costs, he said.

Greg Bott, development director with the nonprofit disability-advocacy group Lehigh Valley Center for Independent Living, said many agency clients rely on the paratransit vans.

"It's something the disability community is always aware of," said Bott. "It does concern people, a lot of whom are on fixed incomes."

LANTA, through Forks Township-based Easton Coach Co., which provides the service, accommodates about 1,800 people per day, said O'Neil. It offers door-to-door service for seniors and disabled riders who aren't able to board a bus or who don't live near regular routes.

Although anyone can use the service and pay the full per-trip fare, currently $22.15, nearly all of the riders are covered by one of several programs that provide free or reduced-fare rides, said O'Neil. The state covers 85 percent of the fares for seniors, while LANTA pays 85 percent of the fares for riders who qualify under the federal Americans with Disabilities Act. A rider or a sponsor for the rider pays the remaining 15 percent.

The full-trip fare would increase from an average of $22.15 to $24.11, according to a notice regarding the public hearing. Full fares would range from $23.35 for trips less than 4 miles to $41.35 for trips more than 36 miles.

LANTA last raised the paratransit fare in 2008 by 24 percent.

For LANTA's regular bus riders, there's some good news. O'Neil said no fare increase is planned for its fiscal year, which runs through June 30. LANTA last raised some fares Oct. 1, 2011.

The meeting will be at the transportation authority's Allentown office, 1060 Lehigh St. For more information call 610-776-7433 or go to http://www. lantabus.com.