NEW ALBANY — The TARC bus routes proposed to be slashed or scaled back have a substantial impact on Southern Indiana employment, business owners and workers said Wednesday. Before a March 22 board meeting where the fate of the routes will be decided, TARC, or Transit Authority of River City, is hosting a series of public hearings to discuss the reductions.
The Southern Indiana hearing was held in New Albany, and about 25 people attended.
About a $5 million budget shortfall is anticipated for TARC’s fiscal year 2011, which begins July 1. To make up the gap, Louisville-based TARC is proposing to discontinue 20 routes and reduce service on 17 other rounds.
“We realize these are real routes, that people really need,” said Nina Walfoort, director of marketing for TARC.
In Floyd County, the Charlestown Road express would be cut, and the New Albany-Clarksville route would be reduced. Also, Route No. 22 connecting New Albany with the Portland community in New Albany would be ended.
The main routes in Clark County — Jeffersonville Route No. 71 Route No. 74 and the Interstate 65 express — would not be affected.
Eliminating the Charlestown Road express would result in job losses because employees depend on the route to get to and from work, a spokeswoman for One Southern Indiana said.
An attorney that claimed to represent 25 companies in New Albany’s Park East Industrial Park said the TARC cuts would jeopardize “dozens” of jobs in Floyd County. Among its destinations, the Portland to New Albany route that would be slashed serves Floyd Memorial Hospital and Health Services and Indiana University Southeast. Walfoort responded that TARC is interested in meeting with One Southern Indiana officials and business leaders to gauge the impact losing the Charlestown Road express and Route 22 would have. But she added TARC doesn’t have many options with its financial standing. “We simply can’t put vehicles out there without paying drivers and paying for gas,” she said. TARC says it aimed to preserve routes that carry the most passengers when formulating the proposal. If the cuts and reductions suggested are passed, TARC estimates it will see an annual ridership loss of 8 percent. With TARC having cut back routes in recent years, Clarksville resident David Owens is frustrated by yet another announcement of a budget shortfall. Though he lives 15 minutes away, Owens said his commute home from work in Louisville can take up to two hours. But that wait could be longer if the Clarksville-New Albany route is curtailed. “I’ve talked to [TARC] before, but they go ahead and make decisions regardless,” Owens said after listening to the presentation. “I have nothing but TARC to depend on.” Other TARC customers said they would have trouble making medical visits to their doctors in Louisville with a reduction in routes connecting Southern Indiana with Kentucky. The agency has considered several sources to help subsidize routes, Walfoort said. State funds already go to support TARC, as a little less than 2 percent of its budget comes from Indiana tax dollars. A good portion of TARC funding comes from occupational taxes in Louisville, which have lagged with higher unemployment rates. “Indiana has actually been a big supporter of transit,” she said. Hoosier dollars are earmarked for specific routes, according to Walfoort. The I-65 Southern Indiana express was not cut because the state designated it as one of the routes it would fund, she added. The Portland Neighborhood Association will lobby hard to keep Route 22, one of its members said. Portland residents rely on the route to get to New Albany for shopping because it’s more convenient than Louisville stops, John Owen said. The Portland Neighborhood Association is trying to finalize a meeting with TARC and New Albany Mayor Doug England to propose combining routes to keep Route 22 running. “We’ve had a bus in place for so many years between New Albany and Louisville,” Owen said. “TARC management needs to re-think the cuts and figure out a way to consolidate.” Those that attended the public hearing were given comment sheets to fill out and turn in for consideration by the TARC board. Walfoort said between 500 and 600 forms had already been received by TARC from Kentucky and Indiana. Those interested in submitting comments can send an e-mail to info@ridetarc.org, or call 502-561-5112.
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