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October 4, 2010 in City
STA seeking public input on budget cut proposals
Spokane Transit Authority officials are asking for the public’s help in cutting 7 percent from the bus agency’s budget next year.
A recently released list of potential cuts is the starting point for a community discussion about how to trim bus and van services to more closely match STA’s income.
A series of public meetings have already gotten under way so that riders and others can comment on the preliminary proposal. A display is available on the second floor of the STA Plaza downtown, and the proposal is also online at spokanetransit.com.
Nine bus routes would be cut, and more than a dozen others would be reconfigured under the proposal.
The cuts will take effect next September, one year after a smaller list of service reductions was enacted.
“We are facing the unfortunate task of needing to reduce our costs,” said Chief Executive Officer Susan Meyer. “The only way to reduce costs significantly is to reduce service.”
As many as 26 jobs, including 16 driver positions, would be lost under the proposal.
The agency is hoping that retirements and resignations will be sufficient to avoid layoffs.
Proposed for elimination are two routes to Medical Lake, a route serving Latah Valley, and the No. 46 Altamont bus on the South Side, all of which have relatively low ridership.
Two crosstown routes on the North Side – on Garland and Francis avenues – would be cut, although riders would still have east-west service on Wellesley Avenue as well as other reconfigured north-south routes.
One of two Liberty Lake express routes and service in Millwood on route No. 95 would be eliminated.
Agency heads are seeking ways to fill the holes that will be created by the cuts. In some cases, transit users will be encouraged to form vanpools to replace scheduled bus service.
The route cuts will be paired with reductions in paratransit service for disabled riders.
The cuts are being forced by a downturn in sales tax collections, which make up two-thirds of the agency’s $60 million operating budget.
Sales taxes began falling in 2008 and have dropped more than 12 percent from their peak in 2007 before leveling off this year. STA planners say they don’t expect to see a return to 2007 collections until 2016, for a cumulative loss of $81 million over eight years.
After next year’s cuts are implemented, the agency will go back to the drawing board to come up with a third round of cuts in 2012. Those cuts are expected to take another 7 percent out of STA services.
Bus ridership has fallen about 3 percent from a peak of 11 million rides in 2008. The cuts likely will result in a ridership decrease of 6 percent, planners said.
Public comment will continue throughout the fall and will be used to write a draft recommendation to be released in January. The draft will go back out for public comment before final adoption by the STA board in March.
Keller ferry turns 62
Martha S, the small ferry boat that operates on the Columbia River at Keller, Wash., has passed a milestone. She turned 62, having gone into service on Sept. 9, 1948. She is expected to celebrate many more anniversaries after being renovated last summer.
I-90 reduced to one lane
The eastbound Interstate 90 viaduct in downtown Spokane will be reduced to a single lane from 9 p.m. Saturday until 6 a.m. Sunday for repair work on bridge deck joints.
Roads reopen after construction
• Wellesley Avenue at Division Street reopened to traffic last week after being closed for construction of a new concrete-paved intersection. The project was finished six days ahead of schedule. It will be followed next spring by repaving of Division from Francis to Euclid avenues.
• Also reopened is Flora Road at Broadway Avenue, where a major widening project is under way on Broadway.
New signal in Coeur d’Alene
The Harrison Avenue and 15th Street intersection in Coeur d’Alene is closed for the week starting today for installation of new traffic signal equipment.
Repair of a pole base damaged in a recent traffic accident and installation of new equipment is expected to be finished by Friday, and the signal should be operating by Oct. 15, the city said.
Trail links park, sports complex
The city of Spokane has opened a new trail in northwest Spokane to link Riverside State Park and the new Dwight Merkel Sports Complex adjacent to Joe Albi Stadium.
The one-mile, unpaved trail is open for biking, hiking, running or dog walking.
It will eventually connect to a 3.1-mile “life sports” loop that will encircle the Merkel complex and Albi grounds, according to city parks spokeswoman Nancy Goodspeed.
MLK Jr. Way opens Thursday 
drywitt99 on October 04 at 2:39 a.m.
RE: STA Okay, someone explain this to me. Bus ridership is down, which reduces revenue. The response from STA is to reduce service, which will reduce revenue even more. A downward spiral…..a slippery slope…..any of this ring a bell?
Believe it or not many people actually NEED bus service in order to get to work, see their doctor, get to the grocery store, go to school, etc.
A few months ago, because of some medical problems, my choices for getting to work were (A) a $1.25 bus ride, or (B)
a $7.00 cab fare. So, my solution: RAISE THE DAMN FARE!
Before you reduce service, which will adversely affect people who have come to depend upon it, RAISE THE DAMN FARE!
Look for more fuel efficient buses….renegotiate employee contracts…..do whatever you have to do to not only maintain the existing level of service, but to expand it.
If it costs me an extra 50 cents to get to work…..or to get to my cardiologist’s office, so be it.
Public transportation is the BEST VALUE there is for the working poor, the unemployed, the young and the old. And it will be, even if we have to pay more.
ZagChuck on October 04 at 4:32 a.m.
To reduce costs immediately, they need to double the time frame between buses, which would reduce the amount of buses on all routes. This means buses that normally operate every 15 minutes would operate every 30 minutes etc.. This will also reduce the amount of fuel used as well as increase the amount of riders per bus. This would allow them to reduce the amount of drivers required by about 12 percent, thus reducing the burden on an already over-taxed citizenry.
Then, a performance based pay structure for all administrators, based on last years’ numbers. and one for all employees based on current rates of pay.
Administration salaries should be reduced to last years’ pay and frozen for the next 4 years. They will not receive pay raises in the future unless they increase the performance of the company. For every 10% increase in participation / ridership, they receive a 2% pay raise. If ridership reduces, so does their salaries. If they start running STA like a business, they can continue their employment. If they are not satisfied by that, they can seek employment elsewhere, and we can find people who are willing to step up to the plate and do the right thing.
All other employees will not receive a pay raise until they have increased ridership by 15%. This will ensure the employees are actively communicating ideas for improvement up channel, and the administration is actively seeking their input, as their salaries are also tied to performance.
drywitt99 on October 04 at 5:37 a.m.
Chuck, ever actually been on an STA bus???
So, you want to reduce service, and look for an increase in ridership?
And your plan for this is what……arm the drivers and have them fill the buses at gunpoint?
SERVICE should be the first priority. And if fares need to be increased to achieve that, so be it.
ZagChuck on October 04 at 6:33 a.m.
@witt,
Thanks for the correction. Increase ridership PER BUS per route, not overall ridership. I should have been more clear. Why spend all that money and gas on a bus with 5 people, when 30 minutes later you can have a bus with 10.
Also, I understand that there are times of the day and routes that have more than 5 or 10 riders.. Those routes should remain with their schedules during those “peak” times.
It’s not rocket science. A bus that has continuous 20% or higher occupancy is probably on the right schedule. A bus route that has less than 25% should be reduced, less busses per hour. Common sense can prevail, the taxpayers can save money, the STA can save money, and people can still get to where they need to go.
First order of business should be for STA and the local governments to stop wasting money on light rail studies. 2nd order of business is to trim the administrative fat. It’s a government funded job, so it goes without saying there are probably double the administrators needed.
Then, run it like a business as I previously stated.
drywitt99 on October 04 at 6:55 a.m.
Numerous good points.
Especially regarding light rail studies and admin costs.
But we need always to remember that this is a service which is heavily depended upon by people of limited means.
Like me. And in order to at least keep the service we have, we will pay more. Perhaps not eagerly, but we will pay it. We recognize value when we see it.
liarsinnews on October 04 at 7:34 a.m.
I`m sure most of the folks living in Spokane, recognize the money wasted by the Officials at the STA spending so much money on TV advertising. What the heck for? Don`t these pseudo intellectuals know the citizens already know we have buses? The STA and the cash cow spending, maybe. Why not put an end to the downtown trolley buses that are empty a lot of the time anyway. At least reduce the frequency. And the STA automobiles running all over town makes me wonder what the heck is going on we need so many STA cars with so-called supervisors???
lewis8457 on October 04 at 8:06 a.m.
the word is this winter will be a doozy with that and the fact the snow plow crew wont plow until after their 8 am tea time, the buses will be full. remember 09 the buses were packed.
maybe in the winter time STA can make extra cash by putting plows on the front of the buses. Oh wait that wont work in 09 when STA was plowing out its own stops the city told them to stop because STA was caring too much about the people. so STA stopped plowing and canceled the routes they couldn’t get to.
change morning route to every 30 minutes, 9am-3pm run every route by the hour, at rush hour 3:01pm-6pm run every 30 minutes like they do now.
spokanecommunistparty on October 04 at 10:51 a.m.
Fire the C.E.O.
normsy on October 04 at 3:05 p.m.
@dick adams
Those supervisors actually do quite a bit, though some more than others. Whenever there is an unannounced street closure they need to go figure out the best detours for buses to take, tag the signs, and stick around a little while to make sure the detour works, and people know about it. They often transport people that are left behind by detouring buses, or full buses, or when buses break down. They have to field a lot of complaints and track down customers who may have witnessed the issue being complained about. They have to respond to accidents involving buses.
Some proposals:
Fares are already being increased, up to $1.25 this year, up to $1.50 in January. Raise them even more for express routes. Hop on a bus in Seattle, and see their rates, higher than we have, which is nice for us and all, but not helping things.
Reconfigure hours so that drivers start and end shifts at the Plaza/VTC/Boone Garage, so many drivers taking STA cars to the end of the line to pick up a route, and the old driver taking that car back to the garage, both being paid the whole time.
Contract more paratransit service, easily the biggest money loser, but also a very needed service. STA already contracts a lot of its paratransit service to First Transit, as they provide a cheaper service, partially due to unions(but that’s an entirely different issue), contract more to First Transit, or similar organizations.
Increase time between buses during non-peak times.
Reconfigure driver hours so that less drivers receive overtime, a lot of drivers have overtime built in to their routes.
Stop footing portions of the bill for some construction jobs. Any of you ever look at the signs that detail who paid for construction jobs? You will find the STA on a lot of them, especially intersections that are being redone in concrete. Why are they helping to fund the overpass for Havana St.?
liarsinnews on October 04 at 7:02 p.m.
David, I`ll agree to disagree. You almost make it sound as if the supervisors are overworked. You forgot to address the trolley buses downtown often running without passengers.
normsy on October 05 at 4:44 a.m.
No, I didn’t.
“Increase time between buses during non-peak times.”
That includes the #1 shuttle. Those shuttles have plenty of people on them in the morning and evening. In between, when you’re seeing them, they don’t. Like many routes.
I won’t say they’re overworked. I just know what they do, and granted some do more than others.