July 01, 2008 04:51 pm
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Paying city residents entitled to ride bus
A recent letter to the editor, “City should continue serving county seniors,” discussed a policy decision by the Kokomo Senior Bus Service to limit its service area. Given the implications in the letter, and my position as the transportation director for the community, I have chosen to respond.
The Senior Bus Service is offered to residents of Kokomo and is funded through both federal grant monies and city resident tax dollars (no county funds are used). As a result, it would be inappropriate, as a fairness issue, to suggest county residents, who do not subsidize this service, should be afforded the same opportunities for its use. Simply, those who pay for the service are entitled to use the service.
We have just completed a transportation study to address mobility issues in our community. Public response is being encouraged as we develop a communitywide transportation plan including county residents. The proposed plan can be viewed, and comments made, on our Web site at www.kokomompo.com.
The Senior Bus Service, along with many other services offered to local residents, are suffering as a result of higher energy costs. Consequently, the city is making every effort to conserve on costs; purging unqualified riders is an attempt to save on costs and provide the service appropriately. I cannot comment on what the mayor may or may not have said to an unidentified third party. I can say, as the transportation director, we are attempting to provide the best and most cost efficient service to those individuals within our limited area of operation, the City of Kokomo.
Larry A. Ives
Transportation director
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