Residents ready to climb aboard $1 million plan for bus routes

The bus has pulled up to the stop, and many Carson City residents are eager to climb aboard a $1 million plan to give the city its first scheduled bus routes.

That includes Holly VanValkenburgh, who lives near the proposed route that comes down South Carson Street near Curry Street.

"I'd like to encourage you to have the bus run on Curry Street," she said Wednesday night to the Carson Area Metropolitan Planning Organization and Carson City Regional Transportation Commission. "There are about 50 to 60 elderly people living in that area, and I'm sure they'll use this system a lot."

The board approved the plan unanimously to create a four-route system that includes a downtown transfer station from which three buses will depart then loop through the north part of town. One bus will travel south as far as Koontz Lane.

"The discussion on the street for a number of years has been 'When are we going to get a public transportation system that we can use?' It's time to do it and see how we fare at it - and I don't mean to make a pun out of it," Commissioner Richard Staub said.

The board favored a plan to extend the service into Douglas County "as long as Carson City doesn't have to pay for it," Commissioner Shelley Aldean said while making the motion.

John Flansberg, Carson City's deputy city engineer, said the bus service could be operating by Oct. 1, after an intensive marketing campaign.

Buses will operate on the weekdays from 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and on Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The fares would be $1 for the general public and 50 cents for seniors and the disabled. Paratransit fares would be $2 for those who are eligible for disability benefits, and $2.50 otherwise.

Mike Dulude, Carson City transit/transportation planner, said about 15 percent of the cost of the project could be paid for by fares.

Other funds will come from the city, the Federal Transit Administration and federal and state grants.

Supervisors would have to approve a budget raise for the transit plan. Dulude said the city would pick up about half of the price tag - about $450,000. That is about $150,000 more than what the city funds for the Carson City Community Transit dial-a-ride system.

The plan proposes creating a major transfer point on Plaza Street between Robinson and Washington streets with passenger shelters and benches. Dulude said they'll use four of the transit service's eight 14-passenger vehicles for the new routes. The remaining buses will be used for the dial-a-ride service.

Dial-a-ride passengers now pay $4 for a scheduled pickup and drop-off. It has an annual ridership of about 36,000. The existing service costs about $408,000 annually. The new routes could have an annual ridership of 200,000.

One Carson City resident criticized the plan, although he said public transportation is needed for seniors and the disabled.

"I have not seen a public transportation system ever pay for its way," said Frank Paluch. "If you're going to do this thing, you're going to get flak for raising taxes and spending money."

n Contact reporter Becky Bosshart at bbosshart@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1212.