SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- In September, Transpo announced they were getting rid of some routes due to legislative actions and high operating costs. For those who rely on the bus this is a problem especially for the disabled community.
Jim Felix, a Transpo rider, says, "There's at least one person on every route or every former route that probably needs that bus."
ABC57's Sidney Moore sat down with Chris Kubaszak, the General Manager and CEO for Transpo Industries who says Transpo relies on federal and state funding to provide service. He also states about 16% of their budget comes from the State Transit Fund which has been pretty stagnant, not increasing in more than five years.
Kubaszak says that's because they have lost riders and revenue hours impacting their eligibility for funding.
Chris Kubaszak, General Manager/CEO Transpo Industries, says, "Very close to 50% of our ridership is the underserved in our community. That's another reason why it's very difficult for us when we have to, or if we have to consider raising fares or decreasing service, because we know it'll have a big effect on those riders."
For one rider, Jim Felix this has a big impact on his day-to-day life. Jim relies on his wheelchair making these reductions very challenging. As he is working to learn the changes, he says the drivers are too.
Jim Felix, Transpo Rider explains, "I was on my way to the movie theater, the bus I was on, I asked the driver. I said, "Well, so when the movie's over and I get back on this bus, will this take me to over by the corner of Catalpa and Main? And that driver, you know, didn't know. I mean, he thought. I guess he thought he knew. He said, "Yeah." He said, "So this route, this route really has not changed. They said right, it hasn't changed, but it did."
In many parts of Mishawaka and South Bend, sidewalks are scarce, making getting to the new routes a lot more challenging.
Jim Felix, Transpo Rider says, "The driver was like, "Oh, you know, Jim, the bus doesn't go down Douglas Road at night." I'm like, "Well, when I'm supposed to get off the bus, it's either over on Grape Road or by Walmart." It was already pitch dark, so I had to roll in the dark home."
Kubaszak says where the sidewalks are placed is out of his control. "We look to see that they're spaced a certain distance apart. So then, it's not really a long walk from one to the next. If it was, if someone had to walk. Number two, we look at trying to figure out the safest places we can, and there will be some places where there's no sidewalks, but you got to have a stop there. It's trying to pick a spot that is the safest for someone to get on and off, and the sidewalk portion, that's controlled by the cities and the states."
ABC57 spoke with Indiana Governor Mike Braun about what he can do in Indianapolis to support public transportation. "Hopefully, the places that are having to cut have looked at running their total operations more efficiently."
You can find the updated list of routes currently running by visiting Routes | Transpo.