City buses offer cheap alternative

The Bloomington Public Transit Corporation encouraged the community to participate in the third annual “Dump the Pump” day by riding Bloomington Transit buses for free June 19.\nBut participating in this nationwide initiative was just one of the corporation’s efforts to get people to take public transportation, said Danny Lopez, communications director for the city of Bloomington.\nHe said ridership has increased in the past few years because of the rising cost of fuel and because of the Bloomington community’s passion for environmental safety.\n“There is an understanding in the part of the community to focus on alternative transportation,” Lopez said.\nBecause of the steady increase of ridership, Bloomington Transit was featured in June’s Busline magazine, a publication that focuses on issues surrounding transit services. Bloomington Transit General Manager Lew May was featured on the cover of the magazine.\nMay said ridership on the buses has consistently increased in the past 25 years, with a record-breaking 2.8 million riders this year. He said offering free rides seems to have an effect on ridership, as there is usually a 10 to 15 percent increase on Dump the Pump day. He also said IU students make up two-thirds of ridership because of the Student ID initiative launched in 2000, where IU students can ride for free with their student ID card.\nMay cited rising costs of fuel as a reason people choose to take public transportation.\n“(Gas prices) are forcing people to make hard choices,” he said. “Everyone is significantly affected by owning and riding a car now.”\nFuel prices have also affected Bloomington Transit, May said. The regular fare for riding the bus increased from 75 cents to one dollar in January.\n“Fuel was an important item in that cost,” he said. “Labor, insurance, equipment, the cost of everything has increased.”\nHowever, May said the increased fare cost has not significantly affected ridership, and that January was the first time the Bloomington Public Transit Corporation had to raise its fees in 11 years. But because costs are now at an all-time high, May said he wouldn’t be surprised if Bloomington Transit will have to make more \nhard decisions.\nHe said the corporation anticipated paying $2.60 for a gallon of diesel fuel in the 2009 budget, but fuel costs $4 a gallon now, with prices only being expected to increase. May said no final decisions in balancing the budget have been made yet.\n“What the future holds in 2009, it’s anybody’s guess,” he said. “It’s like predicting the weather.”\nDespite the dire budget, May said he expects ridership to continue to increase as people continue to dump the pump to save money.\nSome riders of Bloomington Transit didn’t have many complaints about the transit line. Transit rider Fred Kelley said the buses offered him convenience because he doesn’t own a car.\n“I’m 75 years old, so it’s hard for me to get around on my own,” he said.\nKelly regularly takes the buses to shop downtown. However, he said he wishes that the buses would run regularly every day of the week, including weekends.\n“It’s hard for me to go to church on Sundays,” he said.