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Ashland plots own bus service Photo by Jim Craven Rogue Valley Transportation District's bus service in Ashland may come to an end if city officials can devise a plan of their own to replace it. Tokens for RVTD available to riders By DANI DODGE ASHLAND -- Ashland bus riders will be able to pick up reduced fare tokens for Rogue Valley Transit District buses beginning July 1 while the city reviews options for providing its own bus service in the city. Wednesday, one business leader suggested that paid on-street parking could fund bus service in Ashland. Council members are even discussing the possibility of buses with windows that pop out for open-air rides in the summer. "There's a lot of speculation going on right now," said City Administrator Mike Freeman, who discussed possibilities Wednesday with Mayor Cathy Shaw and Councilman David Fine. "We are trying to find a creative way to provide financing for mass transit here." The city was paying RVTD $100,000 a year to provide an increased level of service in Ashland: 15-minute intervals between buses and 25-cent fares. But city officials got a letter this week from RVTD stating it wants $292,000 by July 1 to continue the premium service. Council members refused Tuesday even when they and city staff members misread the letter and thought RVTD only wanted $192,000. "Good grief," Freeman said Wednesday when he learned RVTD really wanted $292,000. "We could run our own bus service for $300,000." The city's first step, though, is to provide free bus tokens for those who cannot afford the full $1 fare. The tokens will be available at City Hall and possibly one other location, city officials said. Then, over the next few months -- and after discussion with other municipal leaders -- council members said they may resort to opting out of RVTD and setting up their own mass transit district. "While this is going on we want to maintain dialogue with RVTD to see if they rethink their position," Fine said. "We aren't anxious to see RVTD crumble, but if they are going to be inept we have to attend to our own needs." RVTD manager Sherrin Coleman said RVTD requested the extra money after a study showed transit officials last week how deeply they were subsidizing Ashland's service. Because of a failed levy in May and a reduction in federal funds, cuts will be made districtwide, she said. "We couldn't see the logic in reducing Medford's service even more to continue that level of service in Ashland, unless Ashland wants to buy it," she said. "We have 18,000 people to serve in Ashland and 60,000-plus in Medford. "We are looking at all the district and trying to do the best we can with what we've got." Coleman didn't think Ashland's possible defection would hurt RVTD. "Actually, it would allow us to provide a little better service in Medford because our resources won't be going as much to Ashland," Coleman said. "It won't be better than today, but the cuts won't be as bad as they would otherwise." Ashland businessman Michael Donovan suggested Wednesday that Ashland could consider paid parking in the most desirable spots downtown to fund an alternative transportation system. He noted it's been done successfully in other small resort towns. He noted, though, it would require strong public support and advice from an expert. "I'm certainly willing to look very hard at this as a possibility," the owner of Chateaulin Restaurant said. Shaw said the first option will be to try to work out something with RVTD. She said it's important to her that the county continue to have a strong transit system. But, if RVTD doesn't change its position about wanting $292,000, the city will probably pursue other options. She said open-air buses would be more inviting in the summer than the large, looming RVTD brand. "We will see if we can get better service for the same amount working through an independent contractor," she said. "We talked about buying some smaller buses that would move through Ashland every 10 minutes for free." "The bottom line is we need to keep an inexpensive bus system for people in Ashland." Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA