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Ashland deal funds better bus service ASHLAND � Beginning Monday, a bus ride across town will be cheaper and the wait shorter. The city of Ashland struck a deal with the Rogue Valley Transportation District that will drop fares in Ashland � from $1 a ride to 25 cents � and reinstate a local route that was stopped a year ago when the transit service faced severe budget cuts. The new route means riders can expect to see buses more often in Ashland. They�ll make 15-minute loops. "A half-hour is just too long for those quick hops down to the store," says Sherrin Coleman, RVTD general manager. "It�s surprising what that extra 15 minutes can do." In Medford and other area cities, folks at the bus stop can expect to wait at least 30 minutes, Coleman said. Some routes run just several times a day. The price of convenience doesn�t come cheaply. Ashland has agreed to pay about $200,000 to subsidize the increased service and lower rates. Until last summer, the city had paid RVTD $100,000 for the same deal. Then the transit district � faced with a string of levy defeats and the loss of a federal grant that had paid a third of its budget � upped the ante. In June 1999 the district asked the city to pay $292,000. Instead, the city dropped its subsidy and began looking into starting its own service. "Ultimately, we determined that what RVTD was providing was a good value," said Mayor Cathy Shaw. Coleman said RVTD is pleased to be back in business with the city. She hopes the increased convenience and better price will boost Ashland ridership. "It�s such a pleasure working with Ashland because they do value and treasure what transit can do to improve livability," Coleman said. Beginning in the fall, service will be free for SOU students systemwide, under an unrelated $45,000 deal with the university. Route 10 will continue its regular loop around Ashland and to Medford. Fares between Medford and Ashland will remain $1; rides within Ashland will cost a quarter as of Monday. Reinstated Route 5 buses will stop at Tolman Creek Road and Highway 66 (Ashland Street); Highway 66 and Walker Avenue; Siskiyou Boulevard and Palm Street; the Plaza; SOU; and Tolman Creek Road and Siskiyou Boulevard. For information on bus routes and schedules, call the RVTD automated info line at 608-2400, or 779-2877 to speak to a person. Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds | Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. The Community Newspaper Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, Inc Copyright �The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA