Galveston May Cut Some Bus Service Due to Funding Issues
Like a lot of public transportation systems, Galveston’s Island Transit depends heavily on federal support. But the community lost population after Hurricane Ike, so that means fewer dollars from Washington.
Galveston Assistant City Manager Rick Beverlin says it costs over $4 million a year to run Island Transit. That leaves local government to make up the difference.
“We are up to in the budget approximately $800,000 on paper,” explains Beverlin. “But in reality at the end of the year they’re putting it over a million dollars.”
To keep Island Transit afloat, Galveston is thinking about changing its night and weekend service. Instead of the current routes officials are considering a circulator bus. Beverlin says they’re also looking at subsidized taxi service for disabled riders.
Read more: http://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/2017/04/11/195974/galveston-may-cut-some-bus-service-due-to-funding-issues/