By Tim Hrencher, Topeka Capital-Journal, October 09, 2009
Public transit service users encouraged the Topeka Metropolitan Transit Authority on Thursday evening to think through all options before following through with its proposal to stop picking up passengers at 9:30 p.m. daily instead of the current 11:30 p.m.
About 35 people attended a public hearing at the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library, where newly hired TMTA strategic planner David Billam talked about efforts the agency is making to help alleviate an $884,643 budget deficit after the city council voted in August to raise the annual property tax mill levy TMTA assesses from 3 mills to 4.4 mills instead of the 5-mill level TMTA sought.
The TMTA staff recently posed three options to its board of directors: Arranging for buses to leave each hour instead of every 30 minutes during peak business times; eliminating weekend and evening services, which are available by reservation only; and modifying the TMTA's fixed route-structure while ending evening service two hours earlier. The TMTA board voted Sept. 28 to look at the latter, and scheduled four meetings to hear public comment.
At the first of those held Thursday, Billam described proposed schedule and route modifications for TMTA fixed-route buses that run until 6:15 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays. Maps of the proposed new routes are at http://www.topekatransit.com/schedules.htm#proposed.
Michael Byington complimented TMTA on its creativity in crafting the routes but objected to Billam's use of the word "modifications."
"Let's call them 'cuts,' " Byington said. "We're talking about them because the city didn't raise the mill levy enough."
Jessica Larkin, who relies on TMTA's evening service to get home from her Kwik Shop job, suggested TMTA might be able to afford to continue offering services between 9:30 and 11:30 p.m. if it raises the rate during that time above the current $3.50 per person for a one-way ride. But Janlyn Nesbitt-Tucker, TMTA president and chief executive officer, said raising rates isn't a good idea when the transit service is experiencing a decline in ridership, as it is now.
TMTA also plans to hear public comments at noon next Thursday at the library; 3 p.m. Oct. 20 at Quincy Street Station, 820 S.E. Quincy; and during the next TMTA board meeting at 8 a.m. Oct. 28 at Quincy Street Station.
Tim Hrenchir can be reached at (785) 295-1184 or tim.hrenchir@cjonline.com.