CITY TAXI SERVICE BID HIGHER THAN LAST YEAR'S; COUNCIL APPROVES GRANT APPLICATION

Cape Girardeau will again seek state funding for the city's taxi coupon program.

But the bid from Kelley Transportation Co., which provides the taxi service, came in more than $80,000 higher than last year, and city officials are wondering how to make up the difference in cost.

The City Council Monday night decided to apply for funding from the Missouri Department of Transportation to pay for the program.

The amount to be requested has yet to be determined, but state funding generally covers half of the cost, with the city picking up the other half.

The 1997-1998 grant amount was $118,375, with the city matching that amount, said city manager Michael Miller.

But the higher bid leaves city officials with the dilemma of trying to decide how to cover the additional costs.

Miller said the city staff is studying options, "which could involve reducing service or reducing hours. We haven't looked at all of them yet."

Another option would be for the city to add the additional funds needed to cover the higher bid from Kelley Transportation as a budget item, Miller said.

John Richbourg, the city's finance director, said alternatives and recommendations will be made to the council in the near future.

The choice isn't an easy one for city officials to make, Miller said, because demands for expanding the program are coming in even while officials are trying to determine whether the city will have to cut back on service.

"It's an old, old story," Miller said.

In a March 23 letter to Miller, Judith L. Johnson asked the city to increase the number of taxi coupons issued to residents.

Johnson, the director of outpatient services at the Community Counseling Center, said many of the center's clients use the taxi coupons to get back and forth to work or school.

But, Johnson said, 65 percent of the clients who responded to a recent survey said they needed at least one more book of coupons a month to meet their transportation needs.

Johnson said she expects other coupon users have the same needs.

City officials have studied other ways to provide some type of public transportation for Cape Girardeau residents.

Last year, the city and Southeast Missouri State University discussed the feasibility of using the university's shuttle system to provide transportation to city residents.

Coupon users can purchase up to 16 taxi coupons a month. The coupons are good for trips anywhere in the city limits, and each coupon costs $1 for elderly and handicapped residents and $2 for others.

The city pays Kelley Transportation $3.25 for each trip made with the coupons. The state grant and city match make up the $2.25 difference.

Kelley Transportation has been the only company to bid on the taxi coupon program since it was first offered in 1981.

The program has been immensely popular since it was implemented. Residents lined up to buy coupon books on the first business day of each month until 1987, when the council said people could buy coupon books on any business day.