The Durango Transportation Department is facing a long-term funding problem, with no clear solution.
Durango City Council told the department to spend savings to cover expenses in 2016, but the need for new local funding could increase as federal grants begin to decline.
In 2016, the transit department’s shortfall could be about $220,000 without new sources of funding.
At the same time, major cuts could hurt people who rely on the service, and the council is hesitant to cut service or increase fares.
“It would be tragic for some people,” said Amber Blake, director of Transportation and Sustainability.
More than three-quarters of people using public transportation in Durango do not have a car and use the service every day, according to a survey completed Oct. 6.
Oscar Searfus, 16, rides transit every day and sees the trolley packed with people in the afternoons.
“There are definitely people who need it and depend on it,” he said.
However, total ridership is projected to decline by 19 percent in 2015 compared with 2014 from about 584,000 to 470,000, according to the city budget.
This drop includes a steep decline in trolley ridership, after a $1 fare was introduced. So far this year, trolley ridership has fallen 36 percent. From January to September 2014, the trolley tallied 244,714 rides. During the same period in 2015, the city recorded 156,130 rides.
This has been offset, a little, by increased ridership on the buses that service Mercy Regional Medical Center and Three Springs, which have seen an increase in ridership of 33 percent from 12,939 to 17,226.
The city also saw a major increase in monthly pass holders, from about 140 in 2014 to about 323 in 2015, Blake said.
To boost ridership and fare revenue, frequent transit service is key. Ridership numbers are also important for federal grants applications, which have been a big part of the transit budget.
In 2016, Durango will receive $980,700 for operations and $448,000 to replace vehicles from the federal government. The total transit budget is $3.9 million.
But it is likely this funding could be flat or decline in the future, said Rob Andresen of the Colorado Department of Transportation.
Dedicated funding through a sales tax, lodgers tax or property tax have helped other communities sustain their transit systems, he said.
“The key thing is community support. If you have it, then just about anything is possible,” he said.
Across the country, these ballot measures to increase taxes have been successful about 75 percent of the time, said Greg LeRoy, executive director of Americans for Transit.
When transit systems are cut back or discontinued, women and people of color are typically the most affected, he said.
When public transportation is introduced, it increases property values to the areas it serves, he said.
Mark and Michelle James recently bought a house in town, and they chose it, in part, because of proximity to the trolley.
Rather than taxes to raise more money for the system, Michelle James suggested a new weekend festival, called the “Trolley Follies.”
Locally, the council has encouraged city staff to look into creative ways of funding the service, such as big contracts with major companies.
The business community has been contributing $10,000 a year since 2014 through the Business Improvement District to help balance the budget because the trolley helps free up parking spaces along Main Avenue and gives tourists in hotels along north Main direct transportation downtown, said Tim Walsworth, executive director of the organization.
The city is currently negotiating a contract with Mercy Regional Medical Center for passes and renegotiating its agreement with Fort Lewis College through the student government.
At FLC, no decision has been reached on a possible fare increase for students, which comes from their student fees, but many students use the system, said Mark Mastalski, student government adviser.
Each semester, FLC gives out about 4,000 transit passes, and last year, students took 85,000 rides on the bus system.
“There would be some concern if service was reduced,” he said.
mshinn@durangoherald.com
