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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend April 12, 2006 From left, Sierra Slocum, Michael Cole and Serena Brigante wait for the bus at the transfer station on Front Street in Medford. Riders were surprised to learn Rogue Valley Transportation District may have to cut routes this summer. Mail Tribune / Jim Craven RVTD might cut bus routes Transportation district says higher fuel and maintenance costs could force the rollbacks if no new income sources are found By DAMIAN MANN Mail Tribune Bus routes that have low ridership might be terminated this summer as the Rogue Valley Transportation District confronts a shortfall of up to $1 million. If no new funding source is found, said Craig Anderson, a senior planner at RVTD, "Our only real alternative is to cut routes to reduce operating costs." He cautioned it has not been determined which routes might be cut. By the beginning of its next fiscal year in July, RVTD will see a decline in revenues while costs such as fuel and maintenance continue to rise. This comes at a time when ridership jumped by 10 percent last year over 2004, fueled mainly by residents’ concerns over rising gas prices. RVTD will hold two public meetings this month to lay out its financial status, while trying to determine what local residents want from their bus service in the next 10 years. Advertisement "We want people to be imaginative as to what they want from a bus system," said Anderson. With a budget of almost $15 million in revenues, RVTD held off making any cutbacks this year because it received about $1 million in one-time money from the state. One proposal to boost revenues is to increase payroll taxes by .003 cent per dollar within the transportation district that stretches from Ashland to White City to generate about $6.5 million annually. On a typical salary of $30,000, it would mean employers would pay an extra $90 a year. The payroll tax, used by bus systems in Portland, Eugene and Salem, would pay for one or two new routes as well as weekend service and longer hours. "We’ve had mixed signals about whether a payroll tax would even be approved," said Anderson, referring to conversations with local businessmen. Bryan Platt, owner of Valley Vinyl in Medford, said he would need a lot more information from RVTD before supporting a payroll hike. On first blush, he said the amount being requested doesn’t seem like a lot. "The trouble is that after you’ve had 15 or 20 of these different increases (in payroll taxes), it makes a difference," he said. A supporter of subsidized mass transit despite his conservative leanings, Platt said he would need to be assured that RVTD has done everything it can to eliminate waste before pushing for the tax. "It seems like a reasonable request as long as the issues are resolved," he said. Platt said a payroll tax wouldn’t have much impact on his bottom line. "It’s not going to cost me a cent because I’m going to raise my prices," he said. Anderson said he welcomes residents to take a tour of RVTD’s facilities to see for themselves how efficiently the bus system is run. "We’ve cut 30 percent of our administrative staff in the last three years," he said. "There is no fat in this organization." Anderson said RVTD hasn’t made any decisions about which bus routes it might cut. But routes with low ridership such as to Jacksonville or Rogue Valley Medical Center would have to be considered. Even so, RVTD would prefer to add routes rather than scale back and is hoping that residents who come to the public hearings have some ideas about how to do that, said Anderson. RVTD rider Sierra Slocum, who was waiting for a bus Tuesday, was surprised that routes might be cut rather than increased. The 18-year-old Medford woman told her friend Serena Brigante about the possibility of ending a route to Rogue Valley Medical Center. "They’re thinking about cutting route 4 (to the hospital)," she said. "How bad is that?" Brigante, 18, of Medford responded, "They can’t discontinue a route that goes by a hospital. That’s not right." Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476, or e-mail RVTD might cut bus routes ">[email protected] . Public meetings scheduled Rogue Valley Transportation District will hold two public meetings to discuss its financial status and to set long-range goals. The first meeting is from 6 to 9 p.m. today at Kids Unlimited, 821 N. Riverside Ave., Medford. The second will be from 10 a.m. to noon April 19 at the Central Library, 205 S. Central Ave., Medford. For more information about RVTD, call 779-5821, or on the web at www.rvtd.org . 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