April 6, 2010

Friends,

Today's edition of the Weekly Update includes a disheartening number of articles about cuts to transit services. The current recession has hit local transit agencies hard as much of transit funding is primarily financed through fares, sales taxes from cities and the voter-enacted Proposition 400. As a result, transit systems across the state are experiencing dramatic reductions in services and significant fare increases for customers.

In Maricopa County alone, local transit agencies have cut operating budgets for the current fiscal year by more than $18 million in addition to increasing fares. In the Valley Metro transit region, there are more than $2 billion in long-term cuts that have been approved for the remaining 15 years of the Proposition 400 funded transit program. 

Making matters worse, on March 18, Governor Brewer signed into law a permanent repeal of the Local Transportation Assistance Fund (LTAF) and LTAF II, which provided state lottery monies to local governments for public transportation. The loss of LTAF and LTAF II funds result in substantial loss of funding to transit agencies that are already cut to the bone: $23 million in LTAF and $10.9 million in LTAF II funds statewide. While many rural and urban Legislators support restoration of the LTAF funds, an effort to restore the LTAF funds in three years has not made any progress. Transit advocates are proposing legislation to dedicate $10 million annually from the Leaking Unit Storage Tank (LUST) Fund to transit for an interim period, but even if this passes it will only address a portion of the funds lost with the LTAF and LTAF II repeal.

The articles below show the dramatic effects of these draconian cuts.

In the News:
Committee makes proposals to save free bus service, The Arizona Republic, April 2, 2010
Service cuts expected for Chandler bus riders, The Arizona Republic, April 3, 2010
Glendale likely to reduce Dial-A-Ride service, The Arizona Republic, April 3, 2010
Transit cuts pinch Arizona cities, The Arizona Republic, April 5, 2010
Public feedback sought on cuts to transit services, The Arizona Republic, April 5, 2010
Budget squeeze has Mesa facing steep cuts to bus service, The Arizona Republic, April 6, 2010

Don’t forget to visit Friends of Transit on the web at www.friendsoftransit.org!

 

Committee makes proposals to save free bus service
by Cathryn Creno 
Apr. 2, 2010 09:57 AM
The Arizona Republic

Phoenix would be better off cutting back its entire transit system by 5 percent instead of chopping out portions of it - including five systems of free neighborhood buses - piecemeal.

That was the message members of the Phoenix City Council's transportation committee gave the city public transit staff Thursday at a meeting to discuss ways to trim about $9.2 million.

The council learned March 18 that it would have to reduce transportation services by that amount because of cutbacks in the state's Lottery Transit Assistance Funds this year.

On March 25, city staff suggested that the council plug part of that hole by eliminating Phoenix's $6 million circulator system, which provides free rides in Ahwatukee, Deer Valley, Desert Ridge, Maryvale and Sunnyslope.

"It seems to me that it would be more fair to have a shared sacrifice," said Phoenix City Councilman Bill Gates, who represents Sunnyslope, where about 1,800 people a day and more than 55,000 a month ride the Sunnyslope Multi Access Area Residential Transit, or SMART.

"I think we need to work very hard to save the circulators in some form. It is very important to residents in my district who are seniors who are unable to drive or are in a financial situation where they don't own a car."

On Tuesday, a committee of Ahwatukee residents appointed by Councilman Sal DiCiccio reworked the route and schedule of the Ahwatukee Local Explorer, or ALEX, which has about 1,000 riders a day and more than 33,000 a month.

Committees are expected to make recommendations about circulators in other parts of the city.

City staff told the committee that ALEX presently costs the city about $700,000. Plans proposed by the committee could save as much of half of that.

If the plan is approved by the City Council at an April 27 meeting, ALEX's route west of Desert Foothills Parkway and north of Elliot Road would be discontinued. The bus would make stops hourly instead of every 40 minutes and it would run only half-days on Saturdays and Sundays.

Also, Valley Metro Route 56, which operates along 48th Street in Ahwatukee, would be discontinued and replaced with an ALEX bus.

Ahwatukee residents on the committee urged transit staffers to preserve ALEX near places like Pecos Community Center, Ironwood Library, a busy shopping district at Ray Road and 48th Street and schools. Several committee members pointed out that parents who work in other parts of the Valley rely on ALEX, which has operated since 2001, to get their kids safely to after-school recreation.

The committee also discussed the possibility of charging a 50-cent fare.

But members concluded that a fee might not be worth the expense of adding fare boxes after city staff said ridership could fall off by as much as 40 percent. "I think a fare would kill ALEX," said committee member Sue Laskovsky, an Ahwatukee resident and directorof Pecos Community Center. "We have had fare increases here at the center and people have not re-enrolled in classes. I think a fare would not bring in the revenue they expect."

City Councilwoman Peggy Neely, chairwoman of the transportation committee, asked transit staff on Tuesday to come up with a comparison of how public transportation would operate with a 5 percent overall reduction in service vs. cuts to specific programs like the circulators.

"A 5 percent reduction would be a huge programming change," she said. "But it would save a huge amount of money also."

Neely also noted that even if the entire transportation system winds up taking a budget hit, the city still might have to make deep cuts to the circulators.

She said she is willing to eliminate the Desert Ridge Area Revolving Transport, or DART, which runs in her district, because the approximate 5,000 riders a month, 155 a day, do not warrant the expense.

Neely said SMART and the Maryvale Area Ride for You, or MARY, which has about 70,000 monthly and 2,300 daily riders, will continue to run. Both operate in areas with large numbers of people who don't drive or live in single-car families.

Neeley is less optimistic about ALEX and Deer Run, which has about 330 daily and 10,300 monthly riders in far north Phoenix.

"Ahwatukee may come out with something," Neely said. "We are looking into utilizing some of their recommendation. But I would say it would say it will not look exactly the same as the system looks now."

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Service cuts expected for Chandler bus riders
by Edythe Jensen 
Apr. 3, 2010 07:30 AM
The Arizona Republic

Chandler bus riders can expect service cuts after July 1 due to a state budget sweep of Local Transportation Assistance Funds that had been contributing about $1 million a year to the city's mass-transit system.

Deputy Public Works Director Dan Cook said it's uncertain which services will be cut and decisions won't be made until the city evaluates ridership reports and hosts public hearings that have not yet been scheduled. The popularity of routes and how heavily they are used will be critical factors in decisions.

He is, however, recommending elimination of Express Route 540 from Chandler to downtown Phoenix that stops in Chandler, Tempe and Ahwatukee Foothills. Another express bus on Route 542 takes riders from the park-and-ride lot at Tumbleweed Park to downtown Phoenix on freeways with no stops. Cook said few Chandler riders board the 540 bus, and the neighboring cities can decide whether to continue their portions of the route.

Other cost-cutting measures could include reducing the number of trips on selected routes, eliminating some early-morning, late-evening or weekend service and changing routes to make them shorter or more efficient, Cook said. There are no cuts to Dial-a-Ride services under consideration.

State lawmakers took about $23 million from Arizona cities' transportation money when they eliminated the Lottery-supported Local Transportation Assistance Fund to reduce the 2010-11 budget deficit.

Chandler will continue to receive about $4 million in transit services administered by Valley Metro through other funding sources, Cook said. The city also is moving forward on starting its first Bus Rapid Transit service in July along Arizona Avenue. It will be Chandler's link to the light-rail line in Mesa.

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Glendale likely to reduce Dial-A-Ride service
by Rebekah L. Sanders 
Apr. 3, 2010 08:00 AM
The Arizona Republic

Glendale plans to continue providing Dial-A-Ride service but may reduce or eliminate seven local bus lines to make up $1.5 million that the city expects to lose in transit funds next fiscal year.

The targeted bus routes are among the least popular and represent 6 percent of the city's fixed-route boardings, or roughly 2,746 times that riders get on board non-express buses each week. The city would also discontinue rides to and from the selected bus lines for disabled residents when the routes weren't in service.

The state stopped sharing lottery revenues with cities for transit systems in January to help balance its budget. For 30 years, Glendale depended on the state-shared Local Transportation Assistance Funds to partially pay for fixed-route and express buses, Glendale Urban Shuttle, Dial-A-Ride, taxi services and rides to bus lines for the disabled.

So far, the city has maintained services using temporary funding measures. But starting July 1, Glendale must change its transit services to deal with the shortfall.

Budget officials stress that state transit money doesn't affect the city's main pot of money, the general fund. The city's $14.7 million general-fund deficit would remain the same. Glendale is planning to shorten library hours, close pools, thin its workforce, raise fees and other strategies to fill in that budget hole.

Glendale could change the bus lines that it cuts to synchronize service with other cities. Valley Metro would coordinate much of the planning.

Residents will likely be able to comment on proposals sometime in May at regional public hearings. A schedule will be posted soon at www.valleymetro.org. The best way to submit comments now is by e-mail at input@valleymetro.org. Those without Internet access can call the customer service line at 602-253-5000.

The following are Glendale's proposals:

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Transit cuts pinch Arizona cities
Loss of state transportation funding imperils services for elderly, disabled
by Casey Newton 
Apr. 5, 2010 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic

Cuts to transportation funding at the state level have rippled out to Arizona cities and towns, forcing them to scale back transit programs and reduce services to the elderly and disabled.

The fiscal 2011 budget signed into law last month eliminated $23 million in transportation funding to municipalities, which has been awarded on the basis of population for nearly 30 years.

In Phoenix, the state's most populous city, the cuts have threatened to eliminate Dial-A-Ride service for seniors and people with disabilities who do not make an appointment more than 24 hours in advance.

Other cities are considering the elimination of bus routes, reduced hours for transit programs and scaling back street repairs, officials said.

"It will make me a more isolated senior citizen," said Marian Berridge, 79, a frequent Dial-A-Ride user from Phoenix who is dependent on a wheelchair. "I'm one of thousands of Phoenicians who use the Dial-A-Ride system. We don't have good health."

Berridge had a message for the Phoenix City Council, which is scheduled to discuss the potential cuts April 27.

"Please don't isolate us," she said.

Cities and towns are hearing more from residents such as Berridge following the elimination of the Local Transportation Assistance Fund, which was established in 1981 to help cities and towns with transportation needs by providing a share of Lottery revenue. The fund was permanently eliminated last month by the Legislature and Gov. Jan Brewer, who used the money to fill a $1.1 billion budget shortfall.

Cities and counties continue to receive some state transportation funding through taxes on gasoline and vehicle licensing and registration. But the elimination of Lottery revenue created a new shortfall for cities and towns seeking to preserve transportation programs. Officials are now developing lists of potential cuts to be decided on by elected officials.

In Glendale, two bus routes are expected to be eliminated and four more will see reduced hours of service. A pickup service for riders with disabilities who live within a half-mile of those routes also is expected to be cut.

Chandler officials are recommending elimination of Express Route 540 from Chandler to downtown Phoenix.

In Avondale, Bus Route 29A will be eliminated. And Scottsdale is considering eliminating or reducing service on three bus routes. The city might also reduce service on the downtown trolley or close the Loloma Station.

For small rural cities and towns, which received a minimum of $10,000 a year from the program, the cuts mean the loss of a reliable source of funding for all kinds of transportation expenses. In recent years, municipalities from Page to Springerville used the money to buy vans to transport senior citizens, build transfer stations, add bus routes and repair streets.

Phoenix approved a 2 percent tax on food this year in part to preserve transit programs. But that will no longer be possible, said Joe Bowar, environmental-programs coordinator for the city. Phoenix is planning to cut another $9 million from its transit budget.

Those cuts could include laying off staff, eliminating all five of the city's neighborhood-circulator programs, same-day Dial-A-Ride service, reducing the frequency or size of four bus routes and getting rid of two more.

"It's just unconscionable what the Legislature continues to do to us - every resident in every city and town in the state," Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon said. Lawmakers "ought to be reducing their budgets and salaries like we have, before they start taking away needed transit services that take people to their houses of worship and their jobs."

Republic reporters Edythe Jensen, Jane Larson, David Madrid and Rebekah Sanders contributed to this article.

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Public feedback sought on cuts to transit services
by Michael Clancy 
Apr. 5, 2010 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic

Bus routes could be cut back, neighborhood-circulator buses eliminated and Dial-a-Ride services reduced as a result of $11 million in state funds that will not be coming to Phoenix this year and next.

In its budget, the state withheld Local Transportation Assistance Funds, which will force the city to add to the cuts already pondered as a result of Phoenix's budget difficulties.

But before the cuts are made, the city wants input from users of those services. It has scheduled community-outreach meetings throughout the city to solicit feedback.

"It's really about getting information that we can present to the City Council so they can make an informed decision," said Yvette Roeder, spokeswoman for the Public Transit Department.

Department staff will provide information and seek opinions about the potential cuts. Roeder said the department hopes to complete its report by the end of April. Check phoenix.gov /publictransit for information.

Upcoming meetings include:

Tuesday
• 7:30-9:30 a.m., Sunnyslope Transit Center, 8927 N. Third St.

Wednesday
• 9-11 a.m., Bret Tarver Learning Center, 1516 N. 35th Ave.

Thursday
• 7:30-9:30 a.m., Metrocenter Transit Center, 9415 N. Metro Parkway.

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Budget squeeze has Mesa facing steep cuts to bus service
by Gary Nelson 
Apr. 6, 2010 09:32 AM
The Arizona Republic

Mesa's annual springtime discussion of transportation funding is usually about as welcome as a root canal.

There's never enough money to do everything the city wants to do, and the bottom line in recent years has brought cutbacks rather than add-ons.

This year, it's worse.

An Arizona Legislature desperate to save every dime in the face of a staggering budget crisis will no longer subsidize local transportation systems. The effect is both immediate and permanent.

In Mesa, some Sunday bus runs may become less frequent. New routes might be delayed. And some Dial-a-Ride passengers might have to begin paying extra.

"We've lost 25 percent of our (local) transit operating budget into the future," Mesa's chief legislative lobbyist, Scott Butler, told the City Council last week. "So this is a seismic shift."

The Legislature drained two buckets of money that have funded Mesa's transit systems - LTAF 1 and LTAF 2.

LTAF stands for local transportation assistance fund. The first was financed by the Arizona lottery. Its elimination cost Mesa $895,000 that it had been counting on for this fiscal year, and almost $2 million from next year's budget.

The second LTAF fund, from Powerball earnings, also was chopped. Mesa had expected that and had not included the $821,000 in next year's budget.

The transit department also faces a nearly $900,000 reduction from Mesa's general fund next year.

But transit director Mike James said his staff has squeezed some savings out of the program, and Mesa is getting more than expected from light-rail fares.

Bottom line: A $1.3 million hole remains in next year's transit budget.

James gave the council a long list of proposed cuts in service, from which his staff picked several for regional transit officials to consider. Those will be analyzed and the surviving proposals will be discussed in public meetings next month.

As has been the case in recent years, Dial-a-Ride generated the most heartburn as the council churned through an hour-long discussion.

"Last year in this conversation I predicted that we would have the same conversation again next year, and we did," Mayor Scott Smith said.

Federal law mandates that cities offer Dial-a-Ride to disabled people who live within three-quarters of a mile of a fixed bus route.

The feds also mandate that cities can't charge Dial-a-Ride passengers within those areas more than twice the local bus fare.

So although the average Dial-a-Ride trip costs $33.75, passengers pay only $3.

Mesa spends more than $4 million a year for Dial-a-Ride. Half of that is funded by a countywide transportation sales tax.

Several years ago, Mesa ended Dial-a-Ride for elderly people. But many of those passengers then became certified under the Americans with Disabilities Act so they could continue riding.

James proposed charging Dial-a-Ride passengers an extra $2 for each mile they travel outside the federally mandated area.

He said that would discourage many passengers but would save about $400,000 a year.

The problem with that, Smith and Councilman Scott Somers said, is that most of east Mesa lies outside the mandated Dial-a-Ride service area because it has few fixed-route bus lines.

"We all struggle with the dilemma we have of one-third of our city that's treated completely differently than the other two-thirds of our city," Smith said.

"I just don't understand how someone can go 10 miles in the two-thirds and cost nothing, and someone can go three blocks on the east side and all of a sudden we're talking about no service or extremely expensive service."

Smith said Mesa must find a system that treats everyone the same.

And he said Mesa shouldn't have to subsidize long trips, some to areas outside city limits, just because it's convenient for people.

"People are going to have to change their habits," Smith said. "Maybe find a doctor that's only two or three miles away. They might have to change where they shop.

"I don't want to force people, and that's not us forcing, that's our reality.

"We simply don't have the resources to take care of individuals and their wants when we have the whole of our city who has definite needs."

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