Following an examination by the Laketran Board of Trustees on what it would cost to reinstitute services cut by last year’s financial recovery plan, it became all but obvious that buses would not be back on county roads past 7 p.m. on weeknights or seen at all on Saturdays in the near or even distant future.

The staff presented the board with multiple tables and estimate groupings on how much money would be needed for the different options that would have each offered some semblance of services that were around before last April. For an agency that just balanced its budget and is trying to right the ship, the costs weren’t feasible. Not even the scenario in which weeknight buses could run for an additional hour would work.

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-- Brandon C. Baker

Photo: Jeff Forman

“Why is Laketran buying new fareboxes? They can’t even run buses on Saturdays!”

It’s a sentiment I’ve seen on this Web site and one you’ve probably heard on the bus, if you ride it. It’s not just related to the fareboxes, though. People say this almost every time Laketran makes a move, be it obtaining federal grants, buying new buses with said grants, updating its scheduling system or announcing that it is nearing a balanced budget.

The problem is how misinformed those statements are.

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It’s hard to know what to expect at tonight’s Laketran public hearing, the first of four regarding the agency’s fare increases and service cuts. Picket signs and protest or crickets?

It’s been two weeks since the agency announced a plethora of changes, including a $1 increase in Commuter Express rides, a bump from $6 to $13 for Dial-a-Ride, and the complete elimination of Saturday services. With that type of proposal on the table, in addition to more increases next year, complaints have piled. Will they be repeated tonight at the Perry Public Library?

You would think so. After all, some believe Laketran should have consoled voters before its board of trustees approved the “financial recovery plan,” while others have even alleged that it’s about greed instead of a dwindling economy. This story has more than 50 comments, many of them angry over the proposal that will hurt wallets and alter schedules.

That surely sounds like a recipe for dozens of furious riders showing up tonight to voice displeasure. But consider last year when Laketran announced a 50 cent increase for Commuter Express and a $2 rise for Dial-a-Ride. I could count on one hand the amount of people who attended the meeting I went to at the Willoughby Public Library.

I didn’t make it to the others, and transcripts revealed more attendees, but they in no way approached the number of calls, e-mails and story comments I viewed prior to the hearings. Simply put, if you’re angry, step up. Otherwise, what can you really say?

It’s true that Board President J. Terrell Dillard said deviation from the original proposal isn’t likely (the board will vote on it in May), but what will Laketran do if riders come out in record numbers? I really doubt they would disregard that and move on as planned. A compromise could be reached.

However, some won’t find out if they’re just content writing comments on News-Herald stories after the fact.

--Brandon C. Baker

Photo: Maribeth Joeright