Carson Metropolitan Planning Organization will pay for PRIDE service

Carson City transportation officials decided Wednesday to pay for public bus service to continue between Carson City and Reno, at least through September.

The decision is one of many that must be made in the next few months as city and Washoe County officials juggle whether to keep current levels of service, cut service to save money, or cancel the program for lack of funds.

It is still uncertain whether Washoe County's proposal to cut Saturday service and trim weekday trips as a way to save money will pan out.

Carson transportation officials approved paying a portion of the needed funding with the understanding that the service could stop altogether if they didn't.

"I view this as a stop-gap measure," said member Shelly Aldean, also a city supervisor. "It's a pretty nebulous motion. There are a lot of things to be worked out. I don't think we're making any definitive decisions this evening other than doing what we have to do to keep this service running at some level. "

Members of the city's Metropolitan Planning Organization, a newly installed board funded through $631,000 in federal money, voted unanimously to allocate $75,000 to the PRIDE bus service to make up half the city's obligation.

The organization will be made up of the five members of the city's Regional Transportation Commission, Douglas County Commissioner Kelly Kite and Nevada of the Department of Transportation representative Jeff Fontaine.

City supervisors will hear the issue and make a decision in the next few weeks about whether to fund another $75,000 out of the city's general fund. Washoe County Regional Transportation Commission will meet tonight to make a decision about it's obligation to the program.

PRIDE bus service began nearly three years ago, funded through Washoe County and the Nevada Department of Transportation with the understanding that Carson City would pick up the state's portion of funding when it met a federal designation as a planning organization.

Having met a two-year initial obligation, the state transportation department is asking Carson City to pay for its portion of the service retroactive to October 2002. The $150,000 allocated would cover costs to the end of September.

Some Carson planning organization members were uncomfortable paying for the service without hearing details of its budget or ridership information.

"I understand what the program consists of, but I don't know what the ridership is, I don't know anything about the current level of service being provided," said organization chairman and city supervisor Richard Staub. "So our backs are up against a wall, and we should feel like hostages at this point. We are spending money, and we don't have any information about the program."

Member Kelly Kite agreed. "I'm really uncomfortable right now with the lack of information I have," Kite said.

The current operator of the bus system, David Lippencot, said he feared the proposed scaling back of routes would cause operation problems with hiring drivers and paying set costs. He was also concerned about the public's reaction to a cut in service.

"The public is unforgiving and unforgetting," Lippencot said. "And if you don't have the frequency of service, it is going to die."

Members asked that a presentation be given to the city's Board of Supervisors with details of the program before a decision was made.

Washoe County proposes dropping Saturday trips. With the elimination of some weekday trips and Saturday service, officials estimate a savings of $170,300 annually. The gross operating cost is estimated at $370,000.

Washoe wants to rearrange routes to eliminate 2 1/2 trips weekdays. The 11:21 a.m. and 1:51 p.m. buses in Carson would be eliminated. A 7:50 a.m. trip from Reno to Carson City weekdays would be added.

In other action, the organization decided to extend the Carson City Community Transportation contract to MV Transportation, Inc. from July 1 to June 30, 2004.

MV Transportation operates a public transit system with the city. The cost is nearly $400,000 to serve the estimated 29,000 riders.