Buses World News

In brief: Worldwide montly news & informations about Buses, Busmakers, Passengers' and the Transport Industry

11.2.11

TRANSPORT FUNDS * USA - Transit system will continue to run despite grant loss

* Ohio - Rescind $10 million in grants it awarded last month

Lancaster,OH,USA -Lancaster Eagle Gazette, by RICK ROUAN -8 Feb 2011: -- The loss of a $1.2 million grant will limit the number of buses available and the hours Lancaster Public Transit operates, but it will not halt plans to expand the service countywide... The Ohio Department of Transportation announced Tuesday that it would rescind $10 million in grants it awarded last month. A $1.2 million grant to expand Lancaster Public Transit services countywide was included in that $10 million... But Lancaster's plans to expand public transportation throughout the county will not be stopped because the city received a second grant from a different ODOT fund for about $986,000 on Dec. 8, said Carrie Woody, superintendent for Lancaster Public Transit... (Photo from upload.wikimedia.org: Stagecoach bus in Lancaster Bus Station, Cumbria)

* Ohio - Transit system sees 19 pct. drop in riders

Toledo,OH,USA -AP/wfmj/Toledo Blade -February 10, 2011: -- Public buses in one of Ohio's largest cities have seen a 19% drop in passengers, largely because of school district cutbacks... The Toledo Area Regional Transit Authority says buses on its regular routes gave 3.3 million rides last year, down from 4 million in 2009... The Blade newspaper of Toledo reports the decline came as the city school district stopped providing bus passes for high school students and cut bus rides in the lower grades for students living within two miles of school. The so-called walking zone had been one mile... Transit authority general manager James Gee says while students comprised the largest category of lost riders in 2010, full-fare ridership also dipped - by nearly 270,000 passengers. He blames the local economy and bus service reductions... (Photo from flickr: TARTA Bus for Toledo, Ohio )

* Colorado - ECO Transit growing again. After a big drop in 2010, ‘shadow' buses needed on some routes

Eagle County,Vai,COL,USA -The Vail Daily, by Scott N. Miller -9 Feb 2010: -- After losing money and passengers for almost two years, the county ECO Transit bus system is on something of an upswing... Ridership for the last three months is up significantly over the numbers posted the year before, and the system's dedicated sales tax revenue finished last year 3 percent above estimates. Like most statistics these days, better numbers are good. But those numbers also reflect increases from some pretty deep lows... In 2009 and 2010, big drops in county sales tax collections, combined with falling fuel prices and fewer paying passengers put the transit system into a hole that required a bailout from the county's general fund. A plan to stop the financial losses included a fare increase and cuts in services. Those service cuts put even fewer riders into buses in 2010... But ridership seems to be coming back, to the point that “shadow” buses are picking up passengers on the system's busiest routes... (Photo from vaildaily, by Dominique Taylor: ECO Transit bus driver Jay Floyd, right, gives passengers travel information and takes their fares as they board the bus headed to Edwards Wednesday at the Vail Transportation Center in Vail Village. Ridership for ECO Transit is up significantly over the past three months)

* Arizona - Transit review targets late buses, route changes

Phoenix,AZ,USA -The Star Phoenix, by David Hutton -February 9, 2011: -- Saskatoon Transit will issue a report in March on what can be done about buses running chronically late or leaving passengers in the cold because the bus has no room to cram in more riders... The city department is reviewing routes with low ridership and considering moving buses to where they are needed, transit manager, Mitch Riabko, said Tuesday... On Monday night, councillors told transit management the number of complaint letters they are receiving is "unacceptable" ... City administration told council the complaints from riders who watch full buses drive by them in freezing cold temperatures are "upsetting" ... (Photograph by: Greg Pender/The StarPhoenix: Bundled up bus riders wait to board at the downtown bus depot on 23rd Street East Tuesday)

Labels: transport funds

22.7.10

Report * USA - MTA Could Eliminate Funding to LI Buses

From unlimited MetroCards to surcharges, the MTA looks for every last penny from riders

New York,NY,USA -NBC New York/Newsday -Jul 20, 2010: -- The drastic measures being mulled by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to close its estimated $400 million budget gap could include the elimination of funding for busses on Long Island... According to transit advocates, the MTA, as part of its preliminary 2011 budget, will demand that Nassau County and/or New York State come up with $40 million more to keep Long Island buses running... This could strand many of the 100,000-plus people on Long Island that take buses... The move comes as the MTA said it was also considering shaving off some of the "off peak" discounts on the LIRR and also might limit "unlimited" weekly and monthly Metrocards by putting caps on the number of rides... Off-peak rides make up 30 percent of revenue at the LIRR and 27 percent of trips, officials said... There's little doubt that fares won't go up again in January -- a hike speculated to be about 7 percent. This means a monthly pass could cost about $100 a month, up from $89 today...

Labels: reports, transport funds

26.3.10

SERVICES' FUNDS * Canada - Manitoba to help keep Greyhound buses running

Province to provide passenger service with $3.12-million to prevent routes from closing

Manitoba,Canada -The Globe & Mail -Mar. 19, 2010: -- The Manitoba government says it will provide Greyhound with $3.12-million to keep the passenger bus service from shutting down for at least a year... Transportation Minister, Steve Ashton, says the money will give the government time to develop a long-term solution to keep the carrier on the road... The province plans to consult with communities on options to the inter-city network... Ashton pointed out that many Manitobans in rural and northern communities depend on affordable bus service... The province agreed in October to negotiate financial aid for Greyhound, which had threatened to pull out of Manitoba altogether because of financial losses... But Premier, Greg Selinger, said at the time that he wasn't keen on permanent subsidies...

Labels: transport funds

25.2.10

Budget Balloons * USA - For buses in I-85 project

State committed $36.5M but now figure is $123.9M

Atlanta,GA,USA -The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, by Ariel Hart -February 18, 2010: -- Metro Atlanta hasn't seen bus fare like this... After the state originally committed to purchase $36.5 million worth of commuter buses and park-and-ride lots as part of the HOV toll lane project on I-85 in Gwinnett County, now that figure is $123.9 million, according to an official at the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority... Where the immediate project called for 36 buses, it involves 82 across the region... And park-and-ride lots will be built in Cherokee County and other metro spots for the project, not just Gwinnett... All of this rerouting of an expensive project during lean fiscal times has people pointing at others in explaining how it unfolded, but curiously little opposition... (Photo from c2.api.ning: Atlanta skyline)

Labels: transport funds

5.2.09

STIMULUS MONEY * USA - Transit agencies have wish lists for

Nashville,TN,USA -The Tennessean,l by Christina E. Sanchez -January 31, 2009: -- A new Gallatin Road bus line that gets passengers downtown in less time will provide Nashvillians a glimpse of potential public transit projects if the state gets federal stimulus money... The Nashville Metropolitan Transit Authority will start the more efficient bus service around April. It was planned and financed before the economy turned sour and the stimulus package was conceived... But, with the prospect of new federal funding, MTA officials have a wish list — as do other area transit agencies. In Nashville's case, projects include expanding the rapid bus routes, buying new buses and GPS systems, and increasing services on certain routes... Tennessee could get $62 million or more in public transportation stimulus funds that congressional Democrats and President Barack Obama say would help create jobs and stimulate the local economy...

Labels: transport funds

TRANSPORT FUNDS * USA - R.I. bus service dodges a big financial pothole — for now

Providence,RI,USA -The Providence Journal, by Bruce Landis -January 31, 2009: -- Passengers who depend on the state’s bus system could make it to July without major service cuts as long as the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority gets some important financial breaks, officials say... That would amount to a reversal of the grim situation last fall, when the agency was estimating its budget deficit at $10 million and considering eliminating up to one-fifth of its service. Those cuts could have taken effect as soon as this month... But if things don’t go RIPTA’s way, transit officials say, it could fall right back into the financial hole and be forced to consider cuts again... (Photo by Steve Szydlowski/The Providence Journal - Passengers wait to board a bus in Kennedy Plaza in December 2006. RIPTA is counting on $2.2 million in extra revenue Governor Carcieri proposed for the authority in his supplemental budget)

Labels: transport funds

15.1.09

TRANSPORT FUNDS * USA - New County Gas Tax Could Fund ECAT Buses

North Escambia,near Pensacola,FL,USA -TheNorthEscambia.com -January 14, 2009: -- The Escambia County Commission is considering a gasoline tax to keep ECAT transit buses on the road, but one commissioner is against the idea because ECAT provides fewer services in North Escambia... The county contributes $7.6 million toward ECAT’s annual budget. A 3 cent gas tax would provide an estimated $3.1 million of that figure, and it would cost the average county citizen $15 per year, according to study the ECAT Citizen Advisory Committee... A large portion of the tax gas burden would fall on people that do not live in Escambia County, according to Commissioner Gene Valentino. He estimated that 40 to 60 percent of the $3.1 million would come from people buying gas as they were passing through Escambia County...

Labels: transport funds

16.10.08

BUSES' FUNDS * Ireland - Dublin Bus picks up 740% state ride

The government has increased its financial support of the transport firm by more than 740% in the past decade

Dublin,Ireland -The Times On Line (UK), by John Burns -12 Oct 2008: -- State support for Dublin Bus has increased by more than 740% in a decade, while its passenger numbers increased by just 7%... Noel Dempsey, the transport minister, has told the Dail that the subvention to the company last year was €80m, compared with €8.8m in 1997. Dublin Bus transported 147m passengers last year, up just 10m on a decade earlier. This means the state subsidy per passenger has risen from €0.06 to €0.54... The company is already in discussions with the Department of Transport about a fare increase for next year, and is also looking for a higher subvention for 2009...

Labels: transport funds

22.3.08

BUS INDUSTRY * Sri Lanka - Private buses to be ‘privatised’

Colombo,Western,Sri Lanka -The Daily Mirror, by Supun Dias -21 March 2008: -- In an attempt to raise funds for the private bus industry the Lanka Private Bus Owners Association (LPBOA) has decided to seek support from the private sector. Among the proposals mooted is to invite private radio stations to bid for their radio channels to be aired on board private buses... LPBOA also hopes to commence a new shuttle service in Colombo and passengers will have to pay monthly to reserve the seats so they can travel within the city to meet their needs... The Transport Ministry and the National Transport Commission will be briefed on the LPBOA proposals within the next few days. “All of these plans are to bring back the Private Bus Industry to its glory”, LPBOA president Gamunu Wijeratne said... (Picture: Feeder buses at Hitec City Station)

Labels: transport funds

8.3.08

TRANSPORT FUNDS * USA - CAL: $394M for state transportation projects

CAL,USA -Inside Bay Area, by Denis Cuff -7 Mar 2008: -- California is awarding $24 million to BART for earthquake retrofits, and $15.6 million to AC Transit for 50 new buses in the first big payout for public transit from a 2006 state transportation ballot measure, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced today... Also, the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority will get $12.1 million to help create dedicated lanes for rapid transit buses along 4.3 miles of streets through downtown San Jose... The governor came to Oakland to use the entrance to BART's Transbay Tube as the backdrop to announce the allocation of $394 million in bond money for 106 bus, rail and other public transit projects around California... (Map courtesy of BART)

* Kansas City voters should extend ATA funding for buses - In 2003 Kansas City voters approved a 3/8-cent sales tax to prevent disruptive cuts in bus service

Kansas Cy,MIS,USA -The Kansas City.com -Mar. 7, 2008: -- ... The tax is scheduled to expire next year, but next month voters will be asked to renew it for 15 years... Backers of the tax, who officially began their campaign Friday, make a good case for renewal. As Mayor Mark Funkhouser notes, a reasonable level of bus service is essential to any city... Even with a future that includes light rail, bus connections will remain vitally important... Buses provide essential transportation for low-income residents — to jobs, grocery stores, health care appointments and worship services. With rising gas prices and growing environmental concerns, the need for buses will continue to grow... (Photo: Many Kansas Citians rely heavily on bus transportation)

Labels: transport funds