In Alaska, transportation services cut, fares rise, including for people with disabilities

From the Anchorage Daily News:

Fares would rise and services would be cut back on the People Mover city bus system under the 2011 budget proposed by Anchorage Mayor Dan Sullivan last week.

The bus system cuts are among cost reductions proposed for many departments, from parks to police, as the Sullivan administration tries to limit property tax increases while coping with rising personnel costs and debt payments.

The bus fare recommendations aren't set yet, but People Mover director Jody Karcz said the initial plan calls for adult cash fares to rise from $1.75 to $2 in 2011; and on AnchorRides, a door-to-door service for people with disabilities and people ages 60 and up, fares would jump from $3 to $3.50. Several other fares, such as for day passes, monthly passes and tokens, would also rise.

Youth prices would stay the same.

To save money, the city would reduce the frequency of buses on several routes and eliminate one route -- 45G between Mountain View and downtown, which relieves crowding on the regular 45 bus route covering similar territory.

The city proposes to limit the number of trips senior citizens can take on the AnchorRides. "It will be on a first-come, first-served basis for seniors," Karcz said.

Door-to-door service for people with disabilities is a federal requirement, said Karcz, but the service for senior citizens who are not disabled is not. A state grant pays for some of the senior AnchorRides rides, and that funding will continue. But the city would scale back its own funding under the budget, so there likely will be a weekly limit on the number of senior citizen trips, she said.

"Cuts are always hard to make. We've tried to preserve as much service as we can," she said.

The administration's proposed budget actually calls for boosting the People Mover and AnchorRides budget by about $200,000 in 2011, to $20.5 million. But that increase wouldn't cover the cost of increased pay and benefits for the program, she said.

To balance the budget, the administration proposes a $380,000 reduction for People Mover bus routes, a $240,000 cutback to AnchorRides services and $200,000 in additional revenue from fares.

One painless cut, Karcz said, would be a $130,000 dip in the parts budget, which can be handled because the city has newer buses that aren't expected to need parts.

The Anchorage Assembly hasn't closely looked at People Mover bus fare increases and service cuts yet, but some members said they'll be scrutinizing it. Last year, the Assembly rejected a proposal to raise fares.

It's an important issue for people across the political spectrum, said Assembly member Patrick Flynn. "If you tend to be more conservative and worry about business, you realize employees need this to get to work."

Assembly members simply "concerned about the well-being of the less fortunate among us" also question fare increases and service cuts, he said.

Mike Saville, chairman of the city Public Transit Advisory Board, says the board has long advocated for the opposite of what it's getting, pushing for more service and reduced fares.

"Everyone right now is hollering they're paying too much taxes," he said. "I don't personally believe that."

Saville also said in his past experience, when cuts had to be made, Karcz thoughtfully made the best choices.

Ray Clements of the Older Person's Action League said some of its volunteers have used AnchorRides.

"If the population (of seniors) was declining, cuts would be in proportion to the decline," he said. But in fact, he said, the Anchorage population of senior citizens is growing.

The first Assembly public hearing on the budget is Oct. 26.