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	The Ypsilanti Courier A Heritage Newspaper Weekly Publication

Residents fight for bus routes

Council searches for ways to maintain AATA service

By Dan Duchene, Special Writer

PUBLISHED: April 13, 2006

The danger of losing bus services is worrying citizens of Ypsilanti.

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Laura Bien is the organizer of Keep Ypsi Rollin', a grass-roots campaign dedicated to preserving the bus service to Ypsilanti. Bien addressed City Council at its meeting on Tuesday. She said loosing bus service "would cripple an already struggling city."

The city is considering cutting its purchase-of-service agreement with the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority, which operates the bus system in Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor, by $80,000 in October 2006. To do this, the city proposed to cut Ypsilanti routes three and five. These routes would then end at Golf Side drive.

There was standing-room only in the Senior Citizens Center on Cross Street as Bien, along with audience members, addressed the city.

"Public transportation is a core service in the Ypsilanti area," Former Ypsilanti Mayor Pete Murdock said. "It's a vital component, economically and socially."

From his seat in the back of the room, Murdock addressed the city council: "We need to figure out a way to keep it. It's that simple. It's your responsibility to find permanent local funding."

Bien laid out three proposals she thought would maintain AATA service in Ypsilanti.

The fist proposal involved trimming the city budget. Bien suggested moving proposed 2008 cuts up. The brunt of the cuts would be from the recreation budget. She suggested a cut of $44,000. That would make up for 55.7 percent of the total reduction. Special events along with planning and development interns would make up for the remaining 44.3 percent, each totaling at $17,500. These cuts would reduce the budget by $79,000.

Her second proposal combined the budget adjustment and an increase bus fare. Bien suggested instead of reducing the recreation budget now, a system-wide 25 percent bus-fare increase would raise $53,500 for Ypsilanti service. Bien had already discussed a $1.25 fare with Chris White, manager of service development for AATA.

Bien's third proposal pooled the fare increase with a "trim" of route five. Bien described route five as "redundant" because it parallels route four so closely. If route five ended at Golf Side Drive, it would raise $26,000 for AATA coverage in Ypsilanti.

"In a perfect world we wouldn't have to cut anything," Bien said. "These are short-term solutions while we can look for stable long-term funding."

AATA Executive Director, Greg Cook, proposed some other means to keep Ypsilanti's bus system running when he addressed the city.

"We understand the need for a bus system in Ypsilanti," Cook said. "We are a means of transportation for anyone and everyone in this region."

Cook pointed out that Eastern Michigan University and the University of Michigan both pay for AATA bus service. He suggested negotiations with St. Joseph Mercy Hospital and Washtenaw Community College.

Additionally, Cook recommended a county-wide millage, this would provide AATA bus service all around the county. "We need to look at what a regional millage would look like for 2008," Cook said.

Ypsilanti Mayor Cheryl Farmer liked the idea of a county-wide millage. "It would be great if you could get anywhere in the county," Farmer said.

After suggesting that KYR's petition be circulated around the council members, Farmer said, "I think everyone on city council is in favor of bus service for Ypsilanti."

Council Member George Gawlas aired his concern about how the bus situation would impact the people of Ypsilanti when he said, "If people can't get to work and can't pursue that job opportunity, than they have no opportunity."

In her final statement, Farmer said, "The message that I'm hearing clearly is that people would rather raise the rates as opposed to cutting routes."

"We need to harness the energy that has been in this meeting to form a committee to pass a county-wide millage," Farmer said.

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