Hernando Today
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Nuts And Bolts Of THE Bus
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Published: May 14, 2008
McHargue said it would be audacious for the board to ground THE Bus just to save money.
"You don't know what it's like to be cooped up," she said.
And that's about the way public opinion has gone on THE Bus, Hernando County's public transportation system. The service has attracted a small but passionate group of supporters who don't miss many opportunities to lobby for it when it comes up at public meetings.
But critics are equally vehement.
They believe the population in Hernando County doesn't warrant spending the money, which has since risen to $630,000 annually since debuting in 2002.
THE Bus has been much criticized because of low ridership and soaring costs. About 1 percent of the county's population is using the service. The nationwide average is 5 percent.
Commissioner Diane Rowden, probably the system's staunchest supporter, believes public transportation is a service that should be provided, even though it doesn't make money. It's unfortunate, she said, that this country doesn't place a higher premium on public transit as they do in Europe, she said.
"People have no other means of getting out other than THE Bus," Rowden said. "It opened up a whole new world for them to be able to get to stores or a doctors appointment.
"We'll be seeing more of that, especially with the cost of fuel."
THE Bus first rolled out on Oct. 28, 2002, in Spring Hill. One week later, a Brooksville route was added, which shuttled passengers between the city and Spring Hill.
In the first year of operation, average riders per day were 215. By the seventh month, the number rose to 219.
After 22 months, ridership increased to about 430 riders daily
Today, THE Bus attracts about 630 riders daily, or more than 150,000 per year. There are four routes and six buses.
To get a better handle on bus ridership, county commissioners voted in March to spend $20,000 to hire a consultant to perform a sophisticated survey analysis.
Commissioners plan to use the data to determine future funding of Hernando County's mass transit system. It will also allow give them a better idea whether to add or subtract routes or decrease service days.
County staffers said the scope of the survey would be more intensive than the average yearly in-house report. The money will come from federal transportation funds and that no local money will be used.
County commissioners recently approved a fare increase that hiked the rates from 50 cents to $1. The discounted fare rose from 25 cents to 50 cents. The fare hike was the first in the system's history.
County Transportation Coordinator Dennis Dix said the extra money is needed to keep pace with higher fuel and operating costs.
Commissioners have asked for more promotional tie-ins with businesses in the hopes that advertising on THE Bus would defray costs.
But that really hasn't happened.
Given the current economic climate, businesses are not spending as much in advertising, Dix said.
People have said it may be more cost efficient to put smaller vehicles on the road to serve riders. But during capacity times, THE Bus does fill up, Dix said.
Dix compares it to roads. There are fewer vehicles during certain times of the day. However, they are built to capacity to meet the needs of drivers during crunch times, he said.
Reporter Michael D. Bates can be reached at 352-544-5290 or mbates@hernandotoday.com.
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