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Socialists angry because of cut backs in free bus service.
They deserve to have other people pay for their free bus service.
Tempe transit services face chopping block amid cuts by Dianna M. Náñez - Apr. 10, 2010 12:00 AM The Arizona Republic In 1996, Tempe spurred a Valley-wide investment in public transportation when the city's voters became the first in the state to pass a sales-tax increase dedicated to boosting transit. Now, as the city struggles to survive the lingering effects of a recession, Tempe is leading the Valley-wide charge to cut transit services, including bus routes, shuttles and light rail. People like Alina Echemendia, who have come to depend on the city's transportation, say they are distraught. Her disability restricts her to a wheelchair and prevents her from driving. "My family lives in Chandler, but I moved to Tempe because of the bus system. It allowed me to be independent. They may seem like small cuts . . . but they are huge to me," Echemendia said. The cutbacks affect a relatively small portion of the city's population, but ridership has grown steadily over the years. Tempe's annual boarding for its public-transportation services increased to 11.8 million last year, up sharply from from 1.2 million in 1996. Tempe is slicing about $14 million from its transportation budget over the next three years. Cuts could include eliminating service before 5:30 a.m. for Valley Metro buses, reducing Sunday bus service, eliminating a bus route to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport and cutting service for the Orbit, the free neighborhood circulator. If the economy doesn't begin recovering by fiscal year 2011-12, even more cuts will be needed. The services on the chopping block this year will be decided by the council in May. Tempe leaders say the cuts are deep because the city invested so extensively in public transportation. Sales-tax collections have plummeted, and Tempe is left with no choice but to shrink its transit system, said Tempe Vice Mayor Shana Ellis, who serves on the city's transit committee. "We're having to cut more transit services because we offered more to begin with," she said. "But we're doing this as prudently as possible and with as much community input as possible." Transit experts say Tempe's difficulties reflect a regional and national trend toward limiting public transportation. Phoenix is making cuts to its bus system and could make cuts to its Dial-A-Ride service for seniors and people with disabilities. Mesa and Phoenix will join Tempe in light-rail cuts. Glendale is cutting two bus routes, and four more will see reduced hours. Chandler is recommending the elimination of an express route to downtown Phoenix. The outlook for the Valley's transportation system is far from what Tempe leaders had in mind when voters passed the sales tax. The vote sent a message: Residents wanted more buses. They wanted light rail. More importantly, they wanted to get out of their cars, and they were willing to pay. [Not really! The one percent of the population that uses buses expects the 99 percent of the population that uses cars to pay it's fare] Within days of the Tempe tax passing, then Phoenix Mayor Skip Rimsza touted a plan for a quarter-cent transit sales tax. His counterpart in Scottsdale, Mayor Sam Campana, said she would follow Phoenix's lead and ask voters for a tax to support more buses. The tax sparked a steady public-transportation revolution for the Phoenix region. It made it OK for city leaders to ask residents for a tax increase in a state where such a notion could amount to political suicide. For Tempe, it solidified the city's reputation as a transportation leader, providing funding for a light-rail line and making it possible for Tempe to offer more transit services per mile in 2009 than Scottsdale, Chandler and Glendale combined. Transit experts say the Valley's transit cuts reflect today's economic reality. "When there are good times, you can certainly subsidize a higher level of transit service . . . but when times are tough, it is almost inevitable that cities make cuts," said Ram Pendyala, professor of transportation systems at Arizona State University. Still, Pendyala said there are lessons to be learned. The system is too dependent on sales taxes, he said. "Maybe if you take a penny from gas tax, a penny from vehicle registration and take a little from property (tax) . . . you may be able to avoid such drastic cuts in the future." Cities should ask the federal government for funds to sustain bus transportation , he said. If the cuts are too deep, it is difficult to bring back frustrated riders let down by the system. Anthony Seebek of Tempe could be one of those riders. He cannot drive because he is blind. He uses a 5 a.m.-hour bus to get to work in Phoenix by 6 a.m. That early-morning service could be cut. "I'll lose my job if I can't get there by 6 a.m. I don't know what I'm going to do," he said.
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