Growing pains

When Jeff Brune stood before the Jackson Board of Aldermen this week seeking a 333 percent boost in city funding for the Cape Girardeau County Transit Authority, Mayor Paul Sander wanted some answers.

While the increase -- to $20,000 a year -- doesn't sound like much in the transit authority's $1.2 million budget, it could mean a lot for Jackson senior citizens who have complained about a decline in service and increase in price since the authority took on expanded duties in July.

If the board approves the request, Brune told Sander, the authority will open a satellite office in Jackson and station vans there for Jackson customers.

"If we give you $20,000, close to that or somewhere near, will you remain in Jackson?" Sander asked.

"Absolutely," Brune replied.

The board didn't approve the request but will discuss the increase during a work session Jan. 8.

The transit authority has already responded to another issue in Jackson over the cost of services, a cut in fares so no ride in Jackson for any customer costs more than $2.50 as long as they stay within city limits.

The request for money represents the growing pains of an agency that in just a few weeks transformed itself from an 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., five-day-a-week operation into a full-service transit agency operating a fixed route bus in Cape Girardeau and countywide taxi service. The transit offices moved from Jackson to Cape Girardeau and hired new drivers.

A few weeks after opening, the strain began to show. Senior citizens in Jackson who had been used to a quickly responding van that cost $1 for a ride to the doctor or to the Jackson Senior Center for lunch suddenly found they were waiting much longer -- up to an hour -- for a ride that cost as much as $7.

The Southeast Missouri Area Agency on Aging's subsidy for their rides was lasting about two weeks of every month. When the money was gone, the seniors had to pay full price. That meant that one day a ride to the senior center or a doctor's office may cost $1; the next day, without notice, the subsidy for the month could be used up and the price rises to $4, $5 or more.

Moving the transit offices to Cape Girardeau also meant a change for Jackson riders. "They used to be there right on the button," Mary Marshall said as she finished her lunch at the Jackson Senior Center Thursday. "Now they have to come from Cape way out here."

Freda Martin, who was sitting with Marshall, agreed that waiting times try her patience. "I go to sleep, and they have to knock on my door," she said.

While she has issues with the transit authority, Marshall continues to use their services and said most drivers are courteous and helpful. And a new fare structure, which will limit the cost for rides in Jackson to $2.50, will be easy to bear, Martin said. "I can afford that," she said.

The price uncertainty and the waits were too much for Lillian Wolfenkoehler. "I would ride with them every day as long as they stay within reason, but they went crazy," she said. "It's just all rotten."

Between July 1 and Nov. 30, the transit agency provided 25,672 taxi runs and carried 9,599 bus riders, Brune said. The total was more than the transit authority's ridership for the entire preceding year.

The complaints from Jackson users are legitimate, Brune said. Rides for senior citizens are subsidized by $63,000 from SEMO AAA, doled out in monthly amounts. Prior to July, the funds were cut, with about $40,000 for the transit authority's service area outside Cape Girardeau and the remainder for Kelley Transportation Inc. for services inside Cape Girardeau.

While it now has the entire budget for senior transportation, the transit authority provides far more rides than Kelley, Brune said, draining the monthly stipend much faster. That forced the transit authority to implement a priority system, Brune said, For example, the authority earmarks enough rides for clients needing dialysis treatments to make sure they receive needed services.

To close the gap, the Senior Citizens Service Fund Board will provide $95,000 in 2007, up from $55,000 this year. The money will be used to develop a voucher program that helps ration out rides to seniors throughout the county at a cut-rate fare, Brune said.

The problems cited at the senior center will be worked out as the transit authority becomes more comfortable with its expanded role, Brune said.

"That is just part of having a system that now has 20 vehicles that operate in an area that has 70,000 people and 570 square miles," Brune said. "It is just a reality of covering such a large distance and such a large population." Those changes are about as much as the transit authority can do to accommodate seniors. The SEMO AAA, which covers an 18-county region, isn't likely to have any extra money to increase funding for the transit authority, director Glenda Hoffmeister said.

"There is no chance of that," she said. "There is so much more service out there that is needed than we can pay for."

The bus route, the first in Cape Girardeau in 37 years, runs from downtown to the western edge of the city, hitting major shopping and medical facilities. Passes allow students, senior citizens and people who are disabled unlimited use for $17.50 per month. Other riders pay $35 per month or $1.50 for a single ride.

After just six months of service, the transit authority board directed Brune to develop a budget and proposal for a north-south route to complement the service.

In addition to the senior fund board's increase and the request to Jackson, the transit authority received a $30,000 boost -- to $50,000 -- from the Cape Girardeau County budget. The Cape Girardeau City Council can expect a major request in the budget that will be written by July 1. Cape Girardeau is providing $69,000 this year.

The request will be geared toward putting the new bus route into operation, Brune said. "One thing the city wanted to see when we first started is what will the demand be and what will the service entail," he said. "The demand is there."

While there are complaints in Jackson, senior citizen Francine Cumberland of Cape Girardeau is happy with the bus service. She was waiting at Wal-Mart for her ride back to Lindenwood Apartments. Cumberland uses the monthly pass.

"There is more of a choice than to take a cab," she said. "This is more economical, too."

rkeller@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 126