House approves new bus funding

Indiana's Ninth District Congressman Baron Hill announced Sept. 10 the House's approval of $2.2 million to be put toward Bloomington Transit projects. The funds, which will be used by both the IU campus bus system and Bloomington Transit, are included in the Fiscal Year 2004 Transportation and Treasury Appropriations Bill. The Senate has yet to vote on the bill, which must be passed in both houses and signed into law before the money is made available.\n"This is great news for Indiana University and Bloomington," Hill said in a statement. "These funds have the opportunity to benefit all citizens of the Bloomington area." \nThe proposed $2.2 million is to be divided between the University system and Bloomington Transit, with IU receiving $1.5 million and the city receiving $720,000. The IU campus bus service, which operates the largest park and ride facility in the state, seeks to purchase new buses and make their services more efficient. The federal funding will provide safety improvements for Bloomington Transit as well, with a focus on vehicle upkeep.\n"As part of our bus replacement program, we are seeking to replace older vehicles with newer vehicles … assuming the money is approved," said Lew May, Bloomington Transit general manager. "There are several more hurdles to go."\nWhile the process of distributing federal funding can be lengthy, the money is expected to be available by the end of the year. The process consists of two steps. According to the Congressional Research Service's Report for Congress, the first is the proposal to create or continue an agency or program. This is followed by the request for funding. Bloomington community members first approached Hill during the spring of 2003 regarding the funding, and letters were sent to appropriations committees in March. \n"In the best case scenario (the whole process takes) about six to eight months," said Stefan Bailey, representative for Hill's office. "We would like to get it done by October or November at the latest, though it sometimes takes as long as January or February." \nThe purpose of the proposed improvements to the Bloomington and IU bus systems is to aid in the reduction of congestion, increased safety and improved economic activity to areas in and surrounding Bloomington.\n"$720,000, if it's in the final bill, will be a big help in the final replacement process," May said.\n-- Contact staff writer Molly Erman at merman@indiana.edu.