TAXI COUPON USERS MAY GET FEWER RIDES

If the city has to cut back on taxi coupons, don't blame Kelley Transportation, says company owner Terrence Kelley. Blame Cape Girardeau's growth and the federal government.

Kelley operates Cape Girardeau's public transportation system, a program that offers 16 coupons a month for $1 each to the elderly and handicapped. A limited number of tickets are available to the general public at $2 each, not to exceed the 16-a-month limit.

The city's current program provides 81,600 tickets to the elderly and handicapped and 10,080 to the general public.

The taxi coupon system began in 1981 and was immensely popular from the start. Residents stood in line for coupons on the first business day of each month until 1987, when the City Council said people could buy two coupon books on any business day.

Kelley Transportation is the only company ever to bid on the city contract. This year, Kelley wants a 75-cent-per-ride increase. That takes the city's cost per ride to $3.25, and city officials said they don't want to pass it on to consumers.

After ticket revenue, state grant money and funding from the Community Counseling Center for extra tickets, the city puts $80,620 annually into the program.

The increase would take that to $115,000, and the city budget already is strapped for the upcoming fiscal year. Cutting the number of tickets available by 25-35 percent may be the only solution.

Kelley said he hasn't asked for a rate increase in 10 years. He is doing so now because of new federal regulations requiring taxicab drivers to be tested for drugs, an additional expense on taxi companies.

In addition, Cape Girardeau is growing. Two dollars and 50 cents -- the current price per ride under the taxi coupon system -- doesn't go as far as it used to.

"Wal-Mart and Target are across the interstate now," Kelley said. "And there are a lot of stoplights that weren't there 10 years ago. All of that takes time."

There are other ways to compensate for the increase rather than cutting the number of tickets sold, Kelley said. He suggested keeping some of the grant money the city releases to Southeast Missouri State University.

But that grant money is a 50 percent match, Finance Director John Richbourg said, so keeping more state money means coming up with more city money. The city doesn't use all $149,000 of the funds available and releases some to Southeast.

However, Southeast also has to come up with the 50 percent match on the funds it requests. The money is used for the university's shuttle system.

A move to cut back the number of coupons available won't be popular with Cape Girardeau taxi users. At last summer's series of city-sponsored meetings on transportation, several people mentioned they would like to see more tickets become available.

Some said a bus service in Cape Girardeau would be preferable to the coupon system.

Kelley disagreed.

"Opening a bus system in Cape is a good way to go broke," he said.

Councilmen will discuss the taxi rate increase and consider options at their May 20 meeting.