Timeline of Recent Events
March, 2011: PedNet Coalition, in partnership with City Public Works and Health Departments and numerous other partners, announces CoMET Campaign whose goal is to triple transit services within three years.
April – June, 2011: PedNet Coalition, Health Department, and Columbia Transit conduct survey of more than 900 current transit users and determine:
- Customer satisfaction rating is good;
- Most transit users earn less than $10,000/year;
- Most common purpose for riding transit is to commute to work;
- Most popular improvement is to extend weekday evening service;
- Most transit users are willing to pay more for improved service.
Spring/Summer, 2011: 500 individuals and 50 organizations sign on in support of the CoMET Vision: “A modern, efficient transit system will enrich the lives and support the successes of all individuals, organizations, and businesses in Columbia, by providing a reliable, convenient transportation service that promotes health, opportunity, and sustainability.”
July, 2011: City Manager Mike Matthes proposes service cuts and fare increases for “Fiscal-2012” (October, 2011 through September, 2012):
- Elimination of Thursday/Friday evening service;
- Reductions in 104SE and various student routes;
- Fare increases to $1.50 (full fare) and $0.75 (half-fare);
- Cuts in eligibility categories for half-fare.
These changes are necessary to avoid the Transit Fund running out of money next year – ridership increases over the last four years (and the fact that fares do not cover costs) have depleted the $2 million Transit Fund.
July/August, 2011: City Council members Barbara Hoppe (Sixth Ward), Fred Schmidt (First Ward), and Jason Thornhill (Second Ward) speak out in opposition to the proposed cuts and work with the City Manager and other Council members to find a way to avoid or reduce the negative impact.
August 22, 2011: Mayor Bob McDavid announces a visionary and long-term plan to set up a Task Force (including a PedNet member and strong representation from MU students) to redesign the Columbia Transit system to be more “student-centric.” The goal is for MU students to approve a campus-wide student fee for transit that will enable Columbia Transit to improve its entire system and level of service for everyone.
- Student use seen as key to city buses (Columbia Daily Tribune, August 23)
- McDavid unveils bus system revamp, but plans will have to wait (Columbia Missourian, August 23)
- Columbia bus riders react to proposed transit changes (Columbia Missourian, August 23)
August 25, 2011: Public Transportation Advisory Commission (official advisory body to City Council on transit):
- Endorses mayor's initiative to create an improved public transit system for all of Columbia;
- Recommends eliminating half-fare eligibility for students over 18, but maintaining half-fare eligibility for all other current categories;
- While recognizing budget situation and need for cuts, expresses grave concerns about a reduction in the operating hours.
- Cuts to the transit system hurt the city and punish its residents (Commentary by David Rosman, Columbia Missourian, August 25)
September 1, 2011: CoMET Campaign Team (Unite 4 Healthy Neighborhoods Citizens' Committee on transit expansion) endorses Public Transportation Advisory Commission's position and goes further. Specifically, CoMET Team:
- Endorses mayor's initiative to create an improved public transit system for all of Columbia;
- Recommends eliminating half-fare eligibility for students over 18, but maintaining half-fare eligibility for all other current categories, and providing free travel for children under 5 years of age;
- While recognizing budget situation and need for cuts, expresses grave concerns about a reduction in the operating hours, and urges City Council to increase ridership and identify other funds that will preserve Thursday and Friday evening service for one year until new “student-centric” system is launched.
September 6, 2011: Twenty-two members of the public testify on the topic of Columbia Transit's budget at the City Council meeting. All of them support CoMET's general position - applauding the mayor for his long-term plan for transit while requesting Council minimize any short-term service cuts and/or fare increases. Council discussion suggests concurrence with that position (see media coverage, below).
- Public hearings on Columbia's transit budget to be held Tuesday (Columbia Missourian, September 6)
- Columbia residents voice displeasure with proposed transit cuts (Columbia Missourian, September 7)
- Bus changes draw critics to council hearing (Columbia Daily Tribune, September 7)
September 15, 2011: City Council members Fred Schmidt (First Ward) and Barbara Hoppe (Sixth Ward) deliver speeches about their visions for transit and then ride various bus routes throughout their wards in order to discuss transit service with their constituents (see media coverage, below).
- Bus contracts with student apartments cost Columbia thousands of dollars (Columbia Missourian, September 16)
- Columbia City Council members ride bus with constituents, discuss changes (Columbia Missourian, September 16)
- Bus riders share with council reps (Columbia Daily Tribune, September 16)
- Cut system to improve operations (Columbia Daily Tribune, Opinion piece by Mark Landrum, September 18)
- Real people depend on Columbia Transit (Columbia Daily Tribune, Opinion piece by the Rev. Carmen G. Williams and Matt Kriete, September 18)
- City council to vote on cuts to Columbia Transit (Columbia Daily Tribune, September 18)
September 19, 2011: After twenty-five advocates testify in favor of CoMET's general position, City Council unanimously approves a budget for Columbia Transit which includes a fare increase for general riders while preserving almost all current bus services - essentially, agreeing to all of CoMET's requests. Specifically, the new budget:
- Raises full fare from $1.00 to $1.50 and half-fare from $0.50 to $0.75, and maintains current Paratransit fares;
- Preserves half-fare eligibility for low-income and Medicaid-eligible riders, and youth under 18; children under 5 will travel free;
- Preserves Thursday and Friday evening service with the exception of the last bus of the night;
- Preserves student routes that were slated for cutting.
- Columbia Transit fare increases approved; service cuts scaled back (Columbia Missourian, September 20)
- Council alters some bus service cuts (Columbia Daily Tribune, September 20)
September 20, 2011: Mayor's Transit Task Force is announced:
- City of Columbia: Mayor Bob McDavid, John Glascock (Public Works Director), Carlos Alvarez (Public Transportation Advisory Commission representative)
- University of Missouri: Eric Woods, Jacob Sloan, Brittany Perrin (all Missouri Students Association), Jacquelyn Jones (Vice Chancellor, Administrative Services)
- Columbia College: Kim Craig (Student Body President)
- Stephens College: Dianne Lynch (President) or designee
- PedNet Coalition/CoMET Campaign: Sam Robinson (Director of Healthy Community Initiatives)
October 4, 2011: Transit Task Force meets for the first time, Mayor McDavid lays out a strong vision of a "student-centric" transit system, and the group takes a ride on one of the new black and gold "Mizzou buses."
- New transit task force explores options for studentk (Columbia Missourian, October 5)
- Mayor pitches student fees at transit task force meeting (Columbia Daily Tribune, October 5)
CoMET Campaign Position
The long-term goal of the CoMET Campaign is to expand transit services in Columbia. When the proposed cuts were announced, CoMET adopted two short-term goals:
- Resist the proposed service cuts and fare increases;
- Obtain a commitment from the City to start to develop a long-term plan that will strengthen transit for everyone.
The Mayor’s proposal, which included the vision of quadrupling transit service, more than satisfies Goal #2. The CoMET Campaign is still working closely with several Council members and the Public Transportation Advisory Commission to minimize the short-term impact of the service cuts and fare increases.
The following Opinion Articles by the Reverend Carmen Williams and Matt Kriete (published in the Columbia Daily Tribune on September 18, 2011) and by Ian Thomas (published in the Columbia Daily Tribune and Columbia Missourian on August 23, 2011) summarize the CoMET Campaign’s position:
Real people depend on Columbia Transit
The Reverend Carmen Williams and Matt Kriete
With all the talk of budgets, route cuts and fare increases, it is easy to forget there are thousands of real people who depend on Columbia Transit for their transportation needs and thousands more who would like to use it.
Let us introduce you to a few of those people.
Beth is a Web designer at Columbia College and does not drive a car. She chose to live in Columbia because it was a walkable city with a good transit system. She specifically chose her home location based on access to a bus route.
Boris is from Bolivia. He has a full scholarship at the University of Missouri and uses Columbia Transit for all his journeys. He hopes a reduction of services can be avoided. “Using the bus will become a lot more difficult for a lot more people,” he said.
Damoren uses an electric wheelchair. Because his chair does not fit into his friends’ cars, he relies on the bus service for all of his transportation needs. “It’s the only way I can get around,” he told us. “If my bus was cut, I wouldn’t be able to travel anymore.”
Darin, who lives in southwest Columbia, is the executive director of a not-for-profit organization with a downtown office. He wants to reduce his driving and go from two family cars to one, but the nearest bus stop is a mile and a half from his home.
Jade is a ninth-grader at West Junior High School. She plays on the volleyball team and attends practices after school. With her mom working two jobs and two younger kids at home, Jade would have to quit the team if evening service were canceled.
Kathleen is an active volunteer with numerous community organizations. She would love to use the bus to get around, but most of her journeys would take an hour and a half by bus, so she uses her van instead.
Stacia and her husband live in central Columbia, on a bus line. They would like to take transit on a regular basis, but with 40-minute or 80-minute gaps between buses, that just doesn’t work.
So how should Columbia meet the needs of its residents and tighten its budget belt? Transit ridership has grown rapidly in recent years, but the existing funding mechanism has been unable to keep up, so City Manager Mike Matthes has proposed fare increases, cuts in eligibility for half-fare, elimination of Thursday/Friday evening service and other route reductions.
While we understand the importance of fiscal responsibility — in fact, because we understand the importance of fiscal responsibility — we oppose these cuts. They target our most vulnerable citizens, they will keep low-income workers from getting to their jobs and students from getting to class, and they will get in the way of economic growth. Columbia needs a modern, efficient transit system to thrive. Employers need to know their employees can get to work reliably. And none of us needs the increased taxes and fees required to maintain Columbia’s aging street infrastructure. Expanded transit will reduce wear and tear on the entire street network, allow for denser development and reduce the need for street-widening projects.
The good news is that we have a strong vision for the future of transit in Columbia. After studying other college towns in the Midwest, Mayor Bob McDavid has proposed a “student-centric” system that will quadruple revenues and enable Columbia Transit to provide first-rate service for students and all Columbians.
As leaders with Columbians for Modern, Efficient Transit (CoMET), we are proud to participate in a movement that is creating awareness of the benefits of expanded transit for our community. The community must come together to implement the mayor’s vision; at the same time, we must not allow Columbia Transit’s momentum for growth to be lost.
At our Sept. 1 meeting, the CoMET campaign team:
- Endorsed the mayor’s initiative to create an improved public transit system for all of Columbia.
- Recommended eliminating half-fare eligibility for students older than 18 but maintaining half-fare eligibility for all other current categories and providing free travel for children younger than 5.
- Expressed grave concerns about a reduction in the operating hours and urged the Columbia City Council to increase ridership and identify other funds to preserve Thursday and Friday evening service for one year until a new student-centric system is launched.
If you support the vision of a modern, efficient transit system, invite your friends and family to join CoMET at www.pednet.org/comet, contact your council member and the mayor to show support for the student-centric system, and oppose the cuts. Then ride the bus — even if it is not the most convenient way to get around right now.
Transit Cuts and Fare Hikes Not in City’s Long-Term Interest
Ian Thomas
Columbia Transit wins a state award, residents rank “Availability of Public Transit” as the "Most Important Transportation Service for the City to Provide,” … and the City proposes cutting routes and raising fares.
First, the good news. Last week, the Federal Transit Administration and the Missouri Public Transit Association presented Columbia Transit with an Award of Excellence for achieving the largest percent increase in ridership among urban transit providers throughout the state of Missouri. In fact, the agency has received these honors every year since 2007.
As a Columbia resident who frequently travels by bus (often with my bike), I can attest to Columbia Transit’s outstanding service. The buses are clean and on-time, drivers are helpful and courteous, and the routes and schedules are extremely well-designed to provide the best possible service within a very limited budget. As Second Ward Council Member, Jason Thornhill said, “Every penny we’ve found to put into transit has paid off.”
However, in spite of these successes, devastating service cuts and significant price hikes are threatened. According to the City of Columbia’s proposed budget for the 2012 fiscal year (October 1, 2011 – September 30, 2012), evening service will be completely eliminated, Saturday service will be cut back, and several predominantly student routes will be reduced. At the same time, the full fare will be increased from $1.00 to $1.50, half fare from $0.50 to $0.75, and eligibility for half-fare will be cut back to the minimum required by Federal law - this combination means fares will rise from $0.50 to $1.50 for many of the poorest members of our community.
Overall, $2.7 million will be cut from Columbia Transit’s combined bus replacement and operating budget this year – an enormous proportion of the City’s overall budget reduction with the entire burden being placed squarely on the shoulders of residents least able afford it. Everyone understands these are tough economic times, but such an inequitable approach goes beyond decency. This proposal also goes beyond reason because it will exacerbate the very problem that has (in large part) put the City in this budget crunch.
The transit cuts are deemed necessary in order to pay for additional street repairs, whose budget will increase 60% to $1.6 million. Now there’s no question Columbia’s streets are in terrible shape – as a cyclist I am well aware of the pot-holes. But let’s pause for a minute to think through the reasons the streets are in such poor shape? Consider that most journeys are accomplished by private automobile, usually with only one or two passengers; whereas City buses carry 20 or 30 passengers and weigh the same as just 2 or 3 typical SUVs. Since buses only account for 1-2% of all journeys while private automobiles account for 90%, it is clear that, as a community, we are not using our transportation resources efficiently.
Instead of cutting service, the City should be developing a long-term plan for transit expansion. By providing a more extensive and frequent service including evenings and weekends, ridership would increase substantially as people who currently drive choose to ride the bus, reducing inefficient automobile journeys and ensuring the road surfaces last longer and save the City money.
Columbia citizens have very clearly signaled their desire to see an expansion of bus service – both through the annual increases in ridership every year since 2007 and the recent 2011 DirectionFinder survey of citizens.
While City officials have cited the survey to justify the re-allocation of funds from transit to street repairs, a more complete and objective analysis leads to the opposite conclusion. It is true that transit expansion ranked eighth out of fourteen possible priorities for the City among respondents, with street and infrastructure maintenance coming first (page 21), but the options that scored higher than transit expansion consisted of issues that directly affect everyone (street maintenance, public safety, and economic development) and goals that are also achieved by transit expansion (reducing congestion, protecting greenspace and the environment, reducing run-off, etc.). It is unfair to put "transit expansion" in the same list as “maintaining streets” and "public safety" when only a very few people use transit currently - and then use the fact that transit expansion only came eighth out of fourteen as a reason to cut transit.
Considering that fewer than 10% of Columbia citizens currently ride the bus, coming in eighth out of fourteen with a whopping 24% of citizens placing a "Very High Priority" on transit expansion is an extremely important result. It shows that the Columbians for Modern, Efficient Transit (CoMET) campaign is achieving its goal of convincing people who do not currently ride the bus to support transit expansion (primarily a more frequent service) so it will be a reasonable option for them to ride the bus and contribute to a more healthy, environmentally sustainable, and economical transportation system.
This result is further reinforced on page 20 of the survey, where "Availability of Public Transit” was voted the "Most Important Transportation Service for the City to Provide" (ahead of other transportation modes). Clearly, Columbia residents want to see improvements in transit services.
To join the CoMET campaign and learn more about the benefits of expanding transit services in Columbia, visit www.pednet.org/comet.
