StarTran drivers oppose proposed cuts
Lincoln’s bus drivers say they are looking out for their passengers by opposing cuts that would significantly reduce StarTran’s midday service.
The $589,000 in proposed cuts, part of Mayor Chris Beutler’s proposed budget for the coming fiscal year, would help bridge a nearly $6 million budget gap. They would cancel all but four of the 18 routes the buses currently run between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., and eliminate the positions of nine drivers and a maintenance worker.
At a public hearing in the City Council chambers Thursday, the StarTran Advisory Board voted unanimously against the service cuts. The City Council will vote on those cuts in mid-August.
Mike Wiese, bus driver and president of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1293, said the loss of jobs is not the drivers’ main concern. Turnover and retirements would empty most of those positions in the near future anyway, he said.
Their concern is the passengers’ transportation, he said.
“You worry about how they are gonna get to where they need to go and do what they need to do,” he said Sunday.
The drivers’ union held a closed meeting Sunday to plan its response to the cuts. In an interview after the meeting, Wiese said it makes no sense to cut bus routes as gas prices and the public’s reliance on mass transit increase.
StarTran’s fixed-route ridership increased from roughly 1.6 million to 1.77 million between the 2004-05 fiscal year and the 2005-06 fiscal year, the last year for which the data was available.
“We’re trying to get more people on the bus as part of this,” said Rick Hoppe, assistant to the mayor.
Part of the money saved with the service cuts would be used to expand eligibility for the Ride for Five program, which provides $5-a-month bus passes to low-income people.
The majority of the mayor’s proposed cuts, however, would offset the increased price of fuel and other regular costs. Hoppe said the city would need to come up with $500,000 to keep StarTran at its current level of service.
“The cost of fuel for StarTran alone, from January, went up $382,000,” he said. “This is a fairly limited amount of time that the routes will not be running … in comparison to the significant increase in gas and personnel.”
When it’s all said and done, the proposed budget allots about $7,000 less to StarTran than last year’s did. The major difference is how that money would be spent.
The StarTran board supported the Ride for Five initiative, as did Wiese. But given the choice, Wiese said, he would prefer the city leave things the way they already are, or find another way to cover StarTran’s expenses.
“It just doesn’t make sense to expand the number who can ride for five and then not give them any service,” he said.
Wiese, and drivers Charlie Schroeder and Marilyn Kruger, all said they support Beutler’s original plan for a city property tax increase to help bridge the budget gap. Wiese also said he would support an increase in fares over the service cuts, and claims the majority of his riders feel the same way.
The four midday routes that would remain should the mayor’s budget be passed as is are a downtown route, a university route, a north-south route and an east-west route.
Schroeder said the city’s proposal doesn’t take students enough into account, and lacks options for those who regularly use routes other than the university route.
Kruger has worked on a 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. route before, and said ridership during those hours was substantial.
“It was certainly enough to justify service,” she said. “This is gonna affect lots of people.“
A large crowd showed up for Thursday’s StarTran board hearing, Wiese said, and he was happy for the turnout.
“I think that was just, it was nice to see. … And everybody was against the cuts.”
Reach Zach Pluhacek at 473-7306 or zpluhacek@journalstar.com.
The $589,000 in proposed cuts, part of Mayor Chris Beutler’s proposed budget for the coming fiscal year, would help bridge a nearly $6 million budget gap. They would cancel all but four of the 18 routes the buses currently run between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., and eliminate the positions of nine drivers and a maintenance worker.
At a public hearing in the City Council chambers Thursday, the StarTran Advisory Board voted unanimously against the service cuts. The City Council will vote on those cuts in mid-August.
Mike Wiese, bus driver and president of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1293, said the loss of jobs is not the drivers’ main concern. Turnover and retirements would empty most of those positions in the near future anyway, he said.
Their concern is the passengers’ transportation, he said.
“You worry about how they are gonna get to where they need to go and do what they need to do,” he said Sunday.
The drivers’ union held a closed meeting Sunday to plan its response to the cuts. In an interview after the meeting, Wiese said it makes no sense to cut bus routes as gas prices and the public’s reliance on mass transit increase.
StarTran’s fixed-route ridership increased from roughly 1.6 million to 1.77 million between the 2004-05 fiscal year and the 2005-06 fiscal year, the last year for which the data was available.
“We’re trying to get more people on the bus as part of this,” said Rick Hoppe, assistant to the mayor.
Part of the money saved with the service cuts would be used to expand eligibility for the Ride for Five program, which provides $5-a-month bus passes to low-income people.
The majority of the mayor’s proposed cuts, however, would offset the increased price of fuel and other regular costs. Hoppe said the city would need to come up with $500,000 to keep StarTran at its current level of service.
“The cost of fuel for StarTran alone, from January, went up $382,000,” he said. “This is a fairly limited amount of time that the routes will not be running … in comparison to the significant increase in gas and personnel.”
When it’s all said and done, the proposed budget allots about $7,000 less to StarTran than last year’s did. The major difference is how that money would be spent.
The StarTran board supported the Ride for Five initiative, as did Wiese. But given the choice, Wiese said, he would prefer the city leave things the way they already are, or find another way to cover StarTran’s expenses.
“It just doesn’t make sense to expand the number who can ride for five and then not give them any service,” he said.
Wiese, and drivers Charlie Schroeder and Marilyn Kruger, all said they support Beutler’s original plan for a city property tax increase to help bridge the budget gap. Wiese also said he would support an increase in fares over the service cuts, and claims the majority of his riders feel the same way.
The four midday routes that would remain should the mayor’s budget be passed as is are a downtown route, a university route, a north-south route and an east-west route.
Schroeder said the city’s proposal doesn’t take students enough into account, and lacks options for those who regularly use routes other than the university route.
Kruger has worked on a 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. route before, and said ridership during those hours was substantial.
“It was certainly enough to justify service,” she said. “This is gonna affect lots of people.“
A large crowd showed up for Thursday’s StarTran board hearing, Wiese said, and he was happy for the turnout.
“I think that was just, it was nice to see. … And everybody was against the cuts.”
Reach Zach Pluhacek at 473-7306 or zpluhacek@journalstar.com.
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