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45 °F Forecast | Road Cams Saturday, November 13, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend May 4, 2004 RVTD proposes ending two services Senior Shopper and Jobs Express have too few riders, too little money By DAMIAN MANN Mail Tribune Blind since birth, Scarlett Miles doesn’t know how she will do her shopping if two bus services for the poor, disabled and elderly are canceled after June 25. "Those of us that have the least are losing the most," said the 52-year-old Eagle Point resident, who travels into Medford each week to shop at Wal-Mart. "That’s why the shopper bus is so important." Rogue Valley Transportation District, citing budget problems and low ridership, has proposed ending its Senior Shopper and Jobs Express programs, leaving riders like Miles, who has a total income of $606 a month, wondering how they’ll manage. On Friday, RVTD sent a letter to riders registered with the programs warning of the possible changes. At a May 26 meeting, the organization’s board will discuss the proposal to shut down the programs, which use large vans to ferry passengers between their homes and stores or jobs. Peter Jacobsen, general manager of RVTD, said many of the displaced riders will be able to use Valley Lift, a federally mandated ridership program for disabled people. Valley Lift, however, costs $2 a ride, versus 50 cents for Senior Shopper. Advertisement "We’re torn over it because it will affect someone," said Jacobsen. He said RVTD had been plagued with cancellations of scheduled rides in the Senior Shopper and Jobs Express programs, leaving drivers occasionally sitting for half the day. Federal money has also dried up, he said. RVTD used to get $1.4 million annually for programs, but that has been cut in half, said Jacobsen. RVTD has used an annual $100,000 state grant to pay for the shopper service, but that will end in July, Jacobsen added. Eagle Point residents like Miles will be cut off from RVTDentirely because that city opted out of the transportation district. "We shouldn’t even be going up there now," Jacobsen said. Another rider, Medford resident Kathleen Newman, said the loss of the shopper service will make it more difficult to get around. "That cuts out of our food budget," she said. Newman, who says she has mental and physical disabilities and gets $583 a month in assistance, spends $200 a month on groceries. Scott Chancey, senior planner for RVTD, said the ridership in both programs is low, with vans often carrying only one or two people. RVTD has a database of about 480 riders registered in the Senior Shopper program but an average of 20 boardings a day, or 10 riders. The district didn’t have an exact number of riders who use the jobs service. If the board decides to continue the shopper service, that would mean less money for fixed bus routes, said Chancey. He said RVTD is still calculating the exact cost of the two programs in preparation for the May 26 board meeting. To help riders displaced by these programs, RVTD is considering changing the frequency of three routes from every hour to every half hour. These would be: route 60 along Highway 62, route 4 through Medford around Rogue Valley Medical Center and route 40 in Central Point. Kay Harrison, chairwoman of the RVTD board, said drivers in the two programs would be shifted to handle fixed routes. She said RVTD is aware of the potential problems this change could have on riders, but she said, "It is a matter of where best can the money be put." Some riders, she said, will find it difficult to pay more for services in the future. "We’re getting more and more people like that and less and less services," she said. Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? 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