The Pine Bluff Transit Department is considering a change that would allow people aged 65 and older to ride the bus for free.
Those 65 and older currently pay a half-price fare of 50 cents. The fare reduction would cost the department an estimated $3,400 annually, Transit Director Larry Reynolds said, adding that he believes the department can make up the difference in the increased opportunities for advertising revenue afforded by the new buses the department received in 2011.
In his written proposal, Reynolds noted that the four new buses meet all requirements for handicapped accessibility.
“Our new design and the ease of the accessibility allow Pine Bluff Transit to become more of an alternative for the senior citizens in our community,” it states in the proposal. “By eliminating this fare, Pine Bluff Transit hopes to capitalize on our new image and logo ‘Ride the Bluff’ and encourage more seniors to become mobile by utilizing the bus system.”
The proposal goes on to state that benefits of the rate reduction include: increased ridership and increased mobility for seniors to medical facilities, restaurants and retailers, which would have a positive impact from the perspective of economic development and increasing senior involvement in all aspects of urban life.
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Reynolds also said the department is funded 50-50 by federal grants and that any revenue they receive from fares is subtracted from the total they get from the federal government, so the true direct cost to the department would be less than $3,400.
Reynolds brought the proposal before the Pine Bluff City Council Public Health and Welfare Committee on Friday to kick off the process required to make the change. The department will also have to hold public hearings on the subject and bring the final proposal before the full City Council for approval.
Alderman Steven Mays suggested the age be 60 and older, but Alderman George Stepps said he would prefer to go with the recommendation of the Transit Department. Reynolds said that the specific age range might be something that is changed after the public hearings, depending on what kind of input from the public they receive.
Dates for the public hearings have not been set, but will be published in The Commercial.
Reynolds said the Transit Department researched the idea and developed the proposal at the request of the mayor’s office.
Youth Commission
In other business, the committee voted to recommend to the full council a proposal to revive a Commission on Children and Youth. Mays, who is sponsoring the proposed update to the existing ordinance, said the commission has not been used since 2002.
The goal of the commission, Mays and Stepps agreed, should be for young people to be more involved in providing ideas for addressing crime and creating more youth activities and programs in the city.
Stepps said that he has no problem with the idea of getting the commission back into working order, but he was concerned about which city staff member should be charged with acting as a facilitator.
Mays suggested the youth commission should come under the responsibilities of the Regina VonTungeln, who coordinates the police department’s Neighborhood Watch and AmeriCorps cadet programs.
Stepps suggested that the mayor’s office be tasked with the decision of finding a facilitator. When the commission was in operation before, an assistant in the mayor’s office oversaw the program, Stepps and other aldermen have said.
Mays agreed to Stepps’ suggestion. The proposal is scheduled to go before the full city council for a final vote on Monday.
Committee member Glen Brown was absent.