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By John Chambliss
THE LEDGER
The Lakeland Area Mass Transit District board voted 4-0 Wednesday to eliminate Saturday bus service, reduce the frequency of bus runs and have employees take eight unpaid days off to address a $2.4 million shortfall.
The cut in bus runs means at least 15 Citrus Connection bus drivers could lose their jobs. In addition, six administrators may lose their jobs, said Dean Kirkland McMillan, interim director of the Citrus Connection.
About 500 bus stops will be cut during the route change.
Waits on certain routes will increase from 30 minutes to an hour.
The changes should be implemented by July 18.
Lakeland Mayor Gow Fields, a member of the board, said board members knew cuts would be needed after a public transit referendum in 2010 failed.
Increased fuel prices, low property tax revenue and less money from the federal government have hurt the agency, Fields said. He said the cuts will "address poor on-time performance, improve efficiency and reduce cost."
The Lakeland Area Mass Transit District is closing 500 of its 1,000 stops because many of the locations are unnecessarily close together. Also, it is too costly to make the stops compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Many of those stops are on South Florida Avenue and U.S. 98 North.
Kirkland-McMillan said Wednesday grant money from the Florida Department of Transportation may be able to keep some of the stops that may have been cut.
Cutting Saturday service saves more than $500,000 for the remainder of the financial year. Other cuts save more than $400,000. The Citrus Connection has an $8 million budget.
Board Chairman Don Selvage, who had sought to keep Saturday service, was absent from the meeting. Higgins, Fields and county commissioners Bob English and Sam Johnson voted for the cuts.
Original article from the Lakeland Ledger
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