Skaters may get free STA shuttles

Skaters, judges and officials would enjoy exclusive door-to-door shuttle service during the 2007 U.S. Figure Skating Championships under a $58,000 plan being considered by the Spokane Transit Authority.

The free shuttles between downtown hotels, the Spokane Convention Center and the Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena would be closed to fans. Transit officials cite security concerns.

Instead, fans would be able to ride on public shuttles, but would have to pay 50 cents for a one-way ride, $2 for a system-wide day pass and $10 for an eight-day pass.

The free VIP service would be a perk not offered by previous cities hosting the same championships. Transit officials said it would be good marketing and exposure.

Tonight, the STA Board is scheduled to decide whether to approve the plan.

“It’s just a darn good idea to participate in a national event like this,” said STA Board member and Spokane Valley City Councilman Rich Munson, who supports the shuttle plan.

Fares would cover about 20 percent of the expenses of the fan service, said STA Interim CEO Steve Blaska, who estimated it would probably cost about the same as the VIP shuttles.

STA benefits by offering the free athlete service because it will be listed as a sponsor in all the event’s marketing materials, said Blaska, who added that the national marketing is worth $300,000.

He added that the event will likely be a net gain for STA since the transit agency is expected to earn an additional $180,000 in sales taxes off the event and its attendees.Munson said STA should do its part to make Spokane look good to all the people attending the event. But the two-tier shuttle service would mark a departure from past practice for the event.

Portland, which hosted the event this year, didn’t operate special, VIP or fan shuttles.

And St. Louis, which hosts the championships next year, doesn’t plan to either.

“We’re prohibited by state law from providing shuttles that private enterprise could provide,” said Bruce Solberg, public information officer for Portland’s TriMet transit agency.

TriMet did offer some extra trains to accommodate crowds during the championship.

“It’s generally the type of expense a sponsor would pick up,” said Diane Williams, communications director for St. Louis’s Metro, of athlete shuttles.

Metro did offer for-fee shuttles for visitors during the National Collegiate Athletic Association men’s basketball Final Four, traveling between hotels and tourist destinations.

“We didn’t transport officials for free or basketball teams for free,” Williams said.

Blaska said that there’s a difference between the athletes and the fans.

“The athletes and those folks are kind of paying because they’re bringing the activity to us. If it weren’t for them, we wouldn’t be having the event at all,” he said.

Spokane should be proud that it’s doing more than other host cities, said Barb Beddor with Star USA, the group organizing the figure skating event’s Spokane visit.

Transportation is one of the legs in the three-legged stool supporting the championships, she said. The others are hotels and food.

As the smallest city to host the figure skating championships, Spokane has to try harder if it wants to attract more events in the future, Beddor said.

“The thing for Spokane is we want to do the very best job possible,” she said. “We’ve set the bar pretty high.”