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(Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell) Residents need a lift Slashed routes, increased fees a hardship on Valley Lift riders By Damian Mann Mail Tribune When Chuck Cheatum needs to go to the grocery store or see a doctor, he must fight traffic in his electric wheelchair for a mile and a half just to catch a ride on public transit. The Medford quadriplegic makes the treacherous journey from his residential care home because Rogue Valley Transportation District eliminated Route 4 last year, forcing him to ride to a point near the freeway where he can be picked up by a Valley Lift van. Just two weeks ago, Cheatum says he almost got run over when he stopped at the corner of Murphy Road and State Street. "As this guy was turning he clipped me and ran the stop sign," he said. "It's kind of dangerous out there." The 53-year-old Medford resident is one of many disabled and elderly residents who have discovered how difficult life can be without the bus route. And because the fares recently doubled, some have been forced to cut back on how often they use public transit. Advertisement "It's quite a travesty to all of us out here," Cheatum said. Ridership has dropped 28 percent since RVTD cut Route 4 to Rogue Valley Medical Center last September and Route 5 in Ashland last July and raised fares from $1 to $2 to help counter a $1.2 million budget shortfall. The district reported 168,767 riders on its six routes in October and November, compared to 233,143 for the same two months in 2005. RVTD picks up only Valley Lift customers who are three-quarters of a mile on either side of a bus route. When a route is eliminated, so is the Valley Lift service along that route. Ashland resident Nancie Ozimkowski, who is blind, sharply criticized raising fares and eliminating routes, particularly to the hospital. "We are fighting so hard for universal health care in Oregon and here in Medford we don't even value public transportation so we can get to the hospital," she said. "I think cutting Route 4 is criminal." Ozimkowski said the cost for Valley Lift has jumped from $4 to $8 a day, which is a real hardship on the disabled who live on a fixed income. "That was grossly overlooked when they did that rate raise," she said. Before the cuts were made, RVTD officials had expected ridership to drop 15 to 20 percent. Peter Jacobsen, RVTD general manager, said it's too early to tell whether the downward trend will continue, but he said that typically when a transit system raises fares there is a dip in ridership followed by eventual recovery. At this point, he said, it is difficult to determine how much of the ridership was lost from increased fares or from eliminating routes. A year-to-date comparison shows RVTD had a total of 452,027 riders through November compared to 589,237 in the same period of 2005, a 23 percent decline. Jacobsen said other factors could influence how fast ridership improves. "One thing going for us is gas prices dancing around in a dangerous manner," he said. Lower ridership doesn't translate into reduced revenue, which has nearly doubled because of the increases in fares and passes. From July through November, RVTD has received about $60,000 a month from the increases compared to about $30,000 for the same period in 2005. Fares generate only a fraction of RVTD's $15 million budget. With the elimination of two routes, RVTD is no longer legally obligated to pick up elderly and disabled residents adjacent to those routes as part of its Valley Lift program, a move that actually saves the district money. While these cutbacks actually cut RVTD's costs, Jacobsen said, "No matter what is done it is a very painful thing for someone." Yellow Cab offered to pick up Valley Lift customers who used Route 4 at reduced fares of $6 to $10, but a representative from the company said very few riders have taken advantage of the service because the amount is too much for people on fixed incomes. Would you like to respond to this story? If so Click Here to visit our forums. Advertisement Copyright © 1997-2007 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback online casinos news Home Security Systems Online Casino Reviews Men's Clothing Fundraisers UK Homeowner Loans Discount Hotel Reservations Send Flowers Casinos Canada Texas Electric Choice Compare Electric rates in Texas Windermere Van Vleet Trunks, Footlocker Online poker at AbsolutePoker.com