County bus costing nearly $16 per ride
Tuesday, November 10, 2009, 2:59pm
By CRAIG FREILICH
St. Lawrence County’s bus system costs an estimated $15.91 per ride, and taxpayers pick up at least 90 percent of the cost.
Riders pay $1.50 each way, county taxpayers about $2.33, and the rest of the funding comes from state and federal grants.
But in spite of the cost, the county’s transportation coordinator says without the buses, many people wouldn’t be able to get around at all – to shop, to get to medical appointments, and to their jobs.
“Many of these people have no other way to get around,” said county Transportation Coordinator Nancy Robert. Aside from providing transportation for senior citizens, the disabled, and anyone else who wants to ride, the program emphasizes “helping to achieve and retain employment for many people.”
The county runs six basic routes connecting Ogdensburg, Canton, Potsdam, and Massena as well as Gouverneur to Watertown. Most routes offer three or four round trips five or six days a week for $1.50 each way.
$477,399 Per Year
Robert’s latest estimate for the program’s budget for next year is $477,399. That’s for everything including fuel, her salary, and what the program pays Roethel Coach Lines of Ogdensburg to run the service. The county kicks in $69,961 of the total, with the rest coming from state and federal grants.
She says a “substantial number of riders use the bus regularly,” though without a complete survey of every rider on every bus, an accurate count of how many are regulars is impossible to tally.
Ridership has been growing, Robert said. The total number of rides from Jan. 1 through Oct. 31 this year was 24,444, up from 23,558 over the same period last year. And this October was a record-setter, with 2,725 one-way rides.
Total ridership in 2008 was 28,398. Robert is projecting total ridership in 2009 at about 30,000, and more next year.
As ridership grows, Robert said, the cost per ride will go down – “and there’s still a lot of room for growth.”
Similar services exist in many rural areas in the country, with long stretches between populated areas.
“This is a rural system. It’s not like an urban system where a bus serves a concentrated population in a small area,” said Robert.
Robert notes that the cost of the service in St. Lawrence County is comparable to, and in some cases less expensive than, service in nearby counties.
“You’ll see higher costs per trip in other counties,” she said.
Stimulus Funds Buy Buses
Her office has apparently made the case for the service to the state Department of Transportation. In addition to money from the state for operating the system, DOT has allotted $515,640 in federal stimulus transportation money for six new buses, six bus shelters, and 50 bus stop signs for the county’s transit system.
“Four of those buses are principally to replace old buses, and the other two are for the new Gouverneur-to-Watertown route,” said Robert.
The new buses will be similar to the 18-to-20-passenger buses used on most routes now, and to the buses on the Gouverneur route that carry 24 to 26 passengers. Robert says the buses are being procured through the state system, and the delivery date is uncertain. The contracts await final approval by the DOT.
Six Basic Routes
The county runs six basic routes, four of them Monday through Saturday, for a fare of $1.50 each way, or 10 tickets for $14.
Route 1 is from Ogdensburg through Heuvelton, Depeyster, Rensselaer Falls, Canton, Potsdam, Norwood and Norfolk and back, with a transfer on the morning run connecting to Massena; Route 2, Ogdensburg, Flackville, Canton and Potsdam and return, with an afternoon connection to Massena; Route 3, Ogdensburg, Massena, Norfolk, Norwood, and Potsdam, and return, with a transfer to Canton; Ogdensburg shuttles, to and from Waddington, Morristown and Lisbon, and around Ogdensburg, on selected weekdays; Potsdam shuttles, to and from Parishville and Norwood and around Potsdam on selected weekdays; and Route 6, the Gouverneur-Watertown runs that began June 1, which stop in Philadelphia, Evans Mills, and LeRay.
Transfers between routes are free, except to the Watertown city buses.
Robert says that route was started in order to serve the more southerly part of the county, and to give people there access to jobs and services in Watertown.
“We had input from many county agencies and departments, from individuals in Gouverneur, that there was a need in that area for transportation services, a strong need, not just for shopping but for job opportunities” Robert said.
The Watertown stop is near Stream International, the relatively new call center, and not far from the Veterans Administration clinic. The stop meets up with the three main routes of the Watertown city buses, at times that are intended to keep waits shorts for buses around the city and for return trips.
Robert says the Gouverneur-to-Watertown run, with three round trips a day, has been growing. In June, the month it started, they had 216 riders; in July, 322; August, 452; September, 372; and in October, 495.
The complete schedule is at the web site www.commuterbusinfo.com; information can be had by calling 393-5200.
Buses for Seniors
Meanwhile, the separate senior bus program, entirely funded by private donations, is looking for donations to continue. The service takes senior citizens from housing in places like Edwards, Hermon, DeKalb and Russell twice a month to larger communities for shopping, medical appointments, and just to get out and around.
“We’re reaching out for support for this community-funded program with small private donations, and from local civic clubs. It’s so valuable to the seniors. It gives them a little bit of independence,” said Robert.
Donations for the senior bus service can be made to the St. Lawrence Housing Council in Canton, which manages the senior housing.
Helps Social Services Clients
Robert says that if the Department of Social Services wants to send someone without transportation to a work training program in Watertown, for example, DSS can use services such as volunteer drivers, which typically cost the department 40¢ to 55¢ per mile.
A 60-mile round trip from Gouverneur to Watertown would cost the department $30 at 50¢ per mile. The bus from Gouverneur to Watertown and back would cost $3. So aside from simply providing transportation, the bus service can actually save money elsewhere in the county budget, Robert said.
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