Editor's note: Royal Sonsalla, husband of Sioux Falls Simplified founder Megan Raposa, is a member of the Public Transit Advisory Board. His role had no bearing on the content of this reporting, and he had no oversight in the following story.

Simplified: The city is looking at updating rules for a program that provides tens of thousands of free one-time bus passes to social service agencies in Sioux Falls. Here's a closer look at the changes and what they'll mean for people seeking assistance.

Why it matters

  • The Pass-It-On program allocates free bus passes to partner agencies to help people without access to transportation get to job interviews, medical appointments, grocery shopping and other essential trips.
  • Proposed rules – presented to the Public Transit Advisory Board (PTAB) this week – would require all recipients to have a special Sioux Area Metro Pass-It-On photo ID, and anyone without the photo ID would not be able to use the free passes to ride the bus. They would also ban anyone from selling or trading the passes they're given.
  • The goal of the changes is to crack down on people hoarding bus passes or using them as currency to trade for cigarettes, for example – something PTAB board member and Glory House Program Manager Kelly Cleveringa said she's seen firsthand.
    • One concern from Cleveringa and other agencies, though, was the proposal to charge $5 for replacement Pass-It-On photo IDs if a person loses theirs.
"All agencies have had concerns about that because we know it'll happen," said Lori Montis, assistant director with Minnehaha County Human Services, the agency overseeing the Pass-It-On program. "We don't have an answer right now."

Tell me more

The Pass-It-On program's budget increased this year with 60,000 passes allocated, up from 40,000 for the last several years. With that increase comes discussion both over the new rules and a desire for increased accountability in the program.

  • The Pass-It-On program is funded through the city's budget, and passes are distributed to 13 partner agencies through Minnehaha County Human Services.

The proposal for a photo ID requirement came from the city's public transit corporate partner, Via, according to Montis and city Transportation Program Coordinator Bren Schweitzer.

  • Jesse Ozdamar, Via's interim general manager for Sioux Area Metro, declined to answer questions from Sioux Falls Simplified following Monday's PTAB meeting.

What happens next?

The Public Transit Advisory Board is expected to formally vote on the proposed changes in April.