Local transportation officials will take a look today at a
proposal to eliminate two county bus routes and scale back weekend
Dial-a-Ride service
– a plan that will cut county transit costs by nearly $10,000
per month.
Hollister – Local transportation officials will take a look today at a proposal to eliminate two county bus routes and scale back weekend Dial-a-Ride service – a plan that will cut county transit costs by nearly $10,000 per month.
Supervisors Pat Loe and Anthony Botelho, who both sit on the San Benito County Council of Governments Board of Directors, have been working with COG staff to develop a plan to eliminate little-used routes and cut the waste out of the county’s public transportation system.
“We definitely have to cut costs somehow,” Loe said. “We have certain runs people aren’t using.”
COG Executive Director Tom Quigley said that the move to reduce bus service is based on the targeted routes being little-used rather than a need to make cuts because of a lack of funds.
“There isn’t a funding issue,” he said. “Those routes are under utilized.”
The proposal calls for the elimination of a bus route that runs from Nash Road and Westside Boulevard to Hazel Hawkins Hospital. The “Greyhound” route, a county bus which runs from Hollister to the Greyhound bus terminal in Gilroy, is also slated to be eliminated. Both of these routes have low amount of riders, according to a COG report, though it did not give exact figures.
“It’s already been proven that these routes we’re talking about are low in ridership. Why continue spending money in those areas,” Botelho said. “We can divert money to more constructive needs rather than running empty busses around.”
The proposal also calls for reducing weekend Dial-a-Ride service down to one bus that will be available for six hours. The Dial-a-Ride program is open to senior citizens, disabled people and residents who live more than a half-mile from a fixed bus route. Currently, multiple Dial-a-Ride busses are available on weekends.
Eliminating the two bus routes and cutting back Dial-a-Ride service will save COG about $9,864 each month, according to a COG report. Currently the agency spends about $94,762 in state and federal funds per month to operate the county’s bus system, according to Traffic Planner Mary Dinkuhn.
Any money saved if the COG board eventually approves the proposal to reduce bus service can be used for other transportation projects throughout the county, Quigley said.
Botelho said that making the county’s public transportation system less wasteful has been one of his priorities since he was appointed to the COG board in January.
“The costs were very high and it didn’t seem like it was increasing in ridership,” he said.
If the service reductions are approved, Loe said it may just be the beginning as COG continues to study how the county’s bus system is used.
“We’ll start with a small step and see where we are after trying that step,” she said. “I’m not saying that in two years we’re not going to cut further, but this is a first small step.”
Neither Botelho or Loe feel that the service reductions would take all options away from the few people who rely on those bus routes for transportation, saying that Dial-a-Ride will still be available.
“To the handful of people who may use that route, I’m sympathetic. But we’re not going to leave them out in the cold, either,” Botelho said. “We have an alternative service called Dial-a-Ride. Nobody will be left completely stranded.”
The COG Board of Directors will discuss the proposal to reduce bus service tonight during a 6pm meeting in the Board of Supervisors chambers on Fourth Street. During the meeting the board is expected to also set public hearings on the proposal to be held on Jan. 19 at 1pm and 6pm.
Luke Roney covers local government and the environment for the Free Lance. Reach him at 831-637-5566 ext. 335 or at lr****@fr***********.com.
