Lyons residents who already have town- and county-subsidized Regional Transportation District EcoPasses must pay a new $25 per pass fee by March 31, according to Toby Russell, Lyons’ sustainability coordinator
Lyons residents getting EcoPasses for the first time also will be charged the new $25 fee.
The Lyons EcoPass program, which began in 2011, entitles residents of the town’s planning area to unlimited free rides on most RTD bus and light rail service throughout the public transit agency’s metropolitan region.
Until this year, Lyons residents were not charged a fee for the town’s Eco-Pass program, which has been supported in the past by a combination of federal, state, regional, county and town grants.
Boulder County is contributing $18,263 this year as its share of the $33,000 cost of RTD’s charge for Lyons’ EcoPass program. The town is contributing $15,000, and collections of the new $25 fee is intended to offset the town’s share, Russell said.
Russell said an EcoPass, if purchased privately or through an agreement between the RTD and the transit user’s employer, has a retail value of more than $2,000.
Anyone who has an EcoPass must pay $25 by March 31 in order to keep it active. They can do so by taking a check to Lyons Town Hall, 432 Fifth Ave., or by making a payment online, at townoflyons.com/415. Once the fee is paid, no further action is required, and the resident’s EcoPass card will continue to work. EcoPass holders that do not pay the fee by March 31 will have their cards deactivated until payment is received.
A Lyons resident who does not already have an EcoPass can apply for a new one for the same $25 cost. Applicants must have a photo such as a driver’s license and proof of Lyons residency, such as a town utility bill. Also required is a head-and-shoulders photo in front of a white background; the applicant cannot wear a hat. For more information, visit townoflyons.com/415.
Anyone who has lost his or her EcoPass can replace it by emailing Russell at trussell@townoflyons.com and include information about the resident’s name, address and telephone number. Replacement forms also ar available at Town Hall.
A town staff member will contact the resident when the authorization has been completed for the replacement. The person must pick up that form at Town Hall and take it to the RTD’s Boulder Transit Center to get a replacement card. The RTD charges $10 to the EcoPass user for a replacement card.
Lyons officials advise that if someone has paid the town’s new $25 fee but that person’s EcoPass does not work, there is a good chance that that is because the pass has not been used for a while. The user can call RTD EcoPass support at 303-299-2273 and ask the agency to reactive it.
Anyone with further questions can contact Russell at trussell@townoflyons.com or call 303-823-6622, extension 46.
Boulder County transportation planner Jared Hall said in January that more than 1,600 EcoPasses have been distributed to Lyons residents since the program began in 2011.
John Fryar: 303-684-5211, jfryar@times-call.com or twitter.com/jfryartc
Our editors found this article on this site using Google and regenerated it for our readers.
