Toledo Area Regional Transit Authority bus service would be reduced by about 7 percent, primarily affecting suburban routes, under a cost-cutting plan developed by agency staff members that will be the subject of public hearings next week.
Most prominent among the service cuts are elimination of the No. 2X Sylvania Express and No. 3 Crosstown routes except for rush-hour service, and elimination of Route 34R service along River Road. Many other routes are to be modified to varying degrees, and a few routes will be expanded.
To a large degree, the plan places heavier reliance on the Call-A-Ride routes to serve the transit authority's suburban riders, TARTA General Manager James Gee said.
And those Call-A-Ride patrons will pay more: the transit authority is proposing to eliminate the special 60-cent fare for those routes in favor of charging its regular $1 on all routes.
While that $1 base fare would be retained, the plan also calls for eliminating bus transfers, which now cost 10 cents. Except for those using weekly or monthly bus passes, passengers connecting from one route to another would pay $1 for each bus they board.
http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080718/NEWS11/807180...
They get lots of subsidy money. -- They need the smaller buses with smaller engines to be fuel efficient.
Is it just me, or does this give the suburbs more ammo to argue for their release?
I'm kind of bummed...I often use the Sylvania 2X Express to get to work downtown. The other route I occasionally use will still be available, but the 2X was move convenient. (And I've seen increased ridership from the routes out of Sylvania over the past few months or so...)
It sounds like the Big Mistake (i.e. making the bus routes downtown-centric) will still be supported. I will continue voting NO on their fucking levies. Of course, since only 20% of Tarta's expenses are covered by fares, I'll be voting NO for a long time anyway.