"How can you call me on something I haven't voted on?" Hunter said.

The disabled asked Hunter if he had voted in favor of previous fare increases, and Hunter confirmed he had.

"You say you haven't made your decision," Edwards said. "I find that hard to believe."

Hunter took exception when riders called him a hypocrite. The United Way and UTA, he said, have different controls, standards, rules and goals.

"I don't mix my United Way stuff with my UTA stuff," he said. "That would be like mixing my religion with my work with the United Way."

"If you have a religious principle, just like if you're going to stand up for the poor, you can't do that on Sundays only," Costley said.

For the most part, Hunter took notes and asked the riders about their experiences. By the end of the meeting, the tone between the riders and Hunter had softened.

The UTA board could vote on a proposal as soon as its June 24 meeting, said Gerry Carpenter, UTA spokesman.

The increase in the paratransit fares will generate an additional $600,000 a year. UTA gets most of its operating funds from sales-tax revenues, which have been depressed since the recession.

The disabled riders proposed to Hunter a 10-cent fare hike for all UTA riders to soften the blow on paratransit customers.

Carpenter said UTA officials are sifting through some 900 comments that came from recent community meetings to discuss the proposed paratransit changes.

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