SUBSIDIZED TAXI SERVICE REMAINS A SUCCESS STORY

In times when public treasuries are not overflowing, it becomes all the more common to hear of governmental programs that are not cost effective, that don't serve the proper constituencies, that simply don't work. Our praise today is for a program that does work: Cape Girardeau's subsidized taxi service for senior citizens and the handicapped. City officials did well in matching a real need with a real solution, and the program remains a vital one.

It has been 10 years since city officials agreed to adopt this service. This decision came after long deliberations and the weighing of various transportation options, which included taking bids on a public bus service. City council members ultimately deter~mined the buses were too expensive and not right for the situation here. The council persisted and came up with the demand-response taxi subsidy. The program allowed senior citizens and the handicapped to purchase cab coupons for reduced rates, with the city picking up most of the fare. Federal grants eventually helped the program expand.

Kelley Transportation Co., a long-established business here, was contracted to ope~r~ate the service and has been an ideal corporate citizen in implementing the program. The service was embraced by its users. In its first year, 6,000 coupon books (eight coupons in a book) were distributed; last year, 10,739 books were issued.

There are a lot of elements here to recommend for all government programs. The subsidized taxi service has not been guilty of overreaching its need; the bus service may have done just that. The service utilized an existing private business; not only does it benefit a local commercial enterprise, but it curtails the need for building a new bureaucracy in municipal government. Rather than seeking and taking federal grant money simply because of its availability, the city developed the necessary program and diligently put accessible funds to work for it. And, most important, city officials identified constituents in need of help and took action to assist them.

Built on such a solid foundation, the program was able to move easily through periods of adjustment and fine tuning. Needs and circumstances will change somewhat as any program advances, and the city administration has been inventive and flexible in rolling with those changes.

A decade after the decision was made to take on this program, it is refreshing to cite its success. This is a government program that has worked.