A recent Free Lance web poll asked readers how often they use
public transit in San Benito County. More than 90 percent of those
who responded said they never ride County Express buses.
A recent Free Lance web poll asked readers how often they use public transit in San Benito County. More than 90 percent of those who responded said they never ride County Express buses.
There was nothing scientific about the poll and we aren’t going to pretend that the result should be considered an accurate gauge of local transit use.
Nonetheless, it’s a grim statistic. And given that the transit agency’s own count in the fourth quarter of last year found that the entire system – which typically has 10 to 12 buses running during operating hours – carries an average of only 11 passengers per hour, that number might not be too far off the mark.
So it’s welcome news that the Local Transportation Authority, which operates the bus system, has hired a consultant to revise San Benito County’s Short Range Transit Plan.
The consultant has been charged with taking a hard look at what works and what doesn’t and coming up with recommendations for improving ridership.
When completed in June, the updated plan is supposed to serve as a roadmap for local public transit improvements over the next five years. Of course, given that the short range plan was last updated in 1995, it might have to serve longer than that.
Research on revisions to the plan is taking place at the same time as the county’s unmet transit needs hearings, which are required annually by the Transportation Development Act.
The hearings are set for Feb. 13 and 15 and we urge riders and non-riders alike to take advantage of this opportunity to weigh in on what they think of the transit system and the service it provides – or doesn’t provide, as the case may be – so that this input might be used to help shape the local transit plan.
The County Express bus system might not serve a lot of riders, but it does serve a very real purpose.
Many of those who are regular users have no other mode of transportation and the buses provide a lifeline – offering a way to and from jobs, school or important appointments.
In the bigger picture, a public transit system helps reduce traffic congestion, pollution from single-occupant vehicles and the need to build more street and highway infrastructure.
The County Express system operates on an annual budget of $1.9 million.
Taxpayers deserve a better return on their investment than they’re now getting.
The best way to improve that return is to make sure that our transit system operates as efficiently as possible with routes and service timetables that meet real community needs.
