Standin' on the corner, waitin' for the bus

Ok, meant to write about the WRTA a week ago but got sidetracked. Thanks alot, teabaggers.

The Sun is back, for the interim, which means that travel has suddenly become exponentially less suicidal for Ohioans. No car scraping, no salt-stained pants, no grey hairs stemming from hitting a patch of black ice, no rituals of pre-preparation just to leave the house. Going places is fun again! Well, except for that one ever-looming black cloud of gas prices (which, literally, becomes a black cloud, depending on your exhaust system).

We all complain about it, we all hate seeing our money turned into a gaseous vapor floating away above the interstate, but we all remain fiercely devoted to our cars. People around here tend to enjoy driving a lot more than they probably should — maybe its the GM/Rust Belt mentality, and decades of pro-automobile sentiments instilled into us. We like cars, we like people to buy our cars. But IN THIS ECONOMY (editorial cliche #241), one cannot afford to cling to tradition.
A solution? Take the WRTA.

In most metro areas, taking the bus is common. Professionals, students, families, the elderly — all are encouraged to take advantage of public transportation. Around here? Not so much. Maybe it's because the city is small, and traffic is minimal. Maybe it is because people simply don't know when the bus comes, or where it goes. Maybe it an idea that the bus is full of bums, or that it is dangerous. Either way, the taking the bus can be a good option for just about about anyone in the city.

The WRTA services downtown, YSU, Belmont, both city hospitals, West Side, East Side, South Side, Struthers, Cornersburg, Boardman, Southern Park Mall, and not one, not two, but THREE Walmarts. There are suburban bus loops in Canfield and Boardman. There are discounts for seniors and YSU students. The rides don't take much longer than driving, and there are stops within walking distance of just about anywhere. Or, you could park downtown or by the mall and ride the bus, and let it drop you off back at your car. This can be helpful if you are bringing back groceries or heavy bags.

Despite all of these conveniences, both funding and ridership went down in recent years.
In 2005, the then-unthinkable $3 gas prices did not generate additional riders for the WRTA. Jim Ferraro, longtime director of the WRTA, said that most riders do not have a car, so they ride regardless. He said that people, especially downtown work commuters from the suburbs, don't see the point of taking the bus to save a 20-minute car ride.

In 2006, Ferraro and other employees of WRTA took a pay freeze in an effort to save money and to avoid cutting services.

IN 2007, the WRTA faced state and federal funding cuts of $2 million. Riders and supporters took to the WRTA downtown office to protest the cuts, which resulted in the cutting of routes.

Ferraro pushed for a levy in 2008. It would have used a 0.25 percent five-year sales tax to fund the bus service. That issue was defeated 50,570 to 38,519 in the March primary. After public outcry, the issue was switched to a county sales tax and later passed 62,212 to 49,664 in November. It funds the WRTA with an estimated $7 million a year.

Ferraro has been a tireless advocate for the bus system. He represents the people, rather than the county. Ferraro has always kept the people informed on the state of the bus service, and never minced words when they were in trouble. Thanks to his efforts, not only did the 2008 levy finally pass, but in 2009, the WRTA received $2.2 million in federal stimulus aid for an expansion project. Ferraro planned to put local contractors and businesses to work on expanding the nearly 25-year-old WRTA office. The expansion from being a city to a county agency also made this expansion necessary.

Other improvements have also resulted from his dedication. Routes have been expanded to the suburbs. Park-N-Ride services are in talks for YSU. The Dial-A-Ride program allows residents to be picked up from their homes for appointments or the grocery store.

In the interest of full disclosure, I will admit I have never taken the WRTA. I have either lived too close to work to take the bus, or too far away. If i need a few things from the store, there's one within walking distance. It is easy to pretty much exist in a two-mile radius in this city. But that's no excuse — there were many times where taking the bus would have saved me money and gas. I feel ashamed — taking advantage of good deals is usually my forte.

SO therefore I pledge to take the bus someplace in the next month. The mall, Austintown, Sparkle, wherever. Someplace where I won't have bags of heavy and/or frozen stuff. I will print out the bus schedules and keep them handy so I know when and where the next bus is coming. You do it too, kids. You never know, you may find some kind of adventure. You may end up on the Violent Femmes bus.

LINKS LIKE CRAZY:
http://www.wrtaonline.com/index.html


YSU Route Schedule
http://www.wrtaonline.com/schedules/ysu.htm

Austintown Routes
http://www.wrtaonline.com/schedules/tt40-austintown.htm

Fifth Avenue Schedule
http://www.wrtaonline.com/schedules/TT33-FifthAve.htm

South Side/Southern Mark Mall Schedule
http://www.wrtaonline.com/schedules/TT35-South.htm