A slow economy and state cuts haven't meant cutbacks in service for area transit programs, Jeanette Aguirre said Friday. But it has meant some changes to help cover costs.
"We will keep our existing operations going at the same level," said Aguirre, transportation director for Western Community Action. At the same time, she said, "We are not able to expand like we really need to or want to," to keep up with passenger needs.
Western Community Action operates community transit programs, including the Marshall Area Transit buses, bus service in Lyon and other counties and a volunteer driver program for people traveling outside of the bus service area. Aguirre said community transit dispatchers take about 600 calls a day from passengers.
Starting Jan. 1, community transit increased the prices for monthly unlimited-ride passes from $25 to $80 to help cover operating costs.
"We're concerned that the level of funding (for 2009) is not where MnDOT said it would be," Aguirre said.
The transportation program gets most its funds from the Minnesota Department of Transportation. Aguirre said community transit had hoped an increase in funds for 2009 would come from state motor vehicle sales tax, but the state of the economy means that people are buying fewer cars than anticipated.
It means that community transit will have to be careful how it spends its money, and make other adjustments like the price change for unlimited-ride passes.
The unlimited ride passes are popular among elderly passengers, Aguirre said.
"Seniors really enjoy paying an affordable flat rate," she said.
But this year the transportation program doesn't have the same amount of funding to help pick up operating costs left over from the fare discounts. The challenge is greater in rural areas. Aguirre said community transit has two buses for passengers in Lyon county and similar programs in neighboring counties, but there are sometimes more road miles than passengers.
"It's a needed service, but there's not the volume of people," she said.
The new price for an unlimited ride pass is "still a good deal for people who ride once or twice a day," Aguirre said. However, she acknowledged that some passengers may decide not to use community transit based on price.
"I'm sure there will be an impact, because they need to watch their funds, too," she said.
"My job is to look at other sources of funding. I'm looking at some of our grant sources," Aguirre said. She's also looking for feedback and suggestions from the public.
Community contributions can help cover costs. For example, Aguirre said, the student senate at Southwest Minnesota State University recently approved a new student fee that allows SMSU students to ride the MAT bus with their student IDs.
"It's not really a free ride, because they're paying for the fee," Aguirre said.
Better coordination of bus and volunteer driver rides is one of the biggest ways to cut costs, Aguirre said. From a passenger's perspective, that means calling ahead to the community transit dispatch and being a little flexible - joining a volunteer driver who's already headed to your destination, for example, or getting on the bus at a route stop instead of calling for a ride. Even calling ahead with a ride cancellation can save driving time and fuel, Aguirre said.
The important thing is to keep community transit available, she said.
"Public transit is really a vital service. Those of us who drive kind of take it for granted," Aguirre said.
To call for a MAT ride or speak to a community transit dispatcher, call 507-537-7628.