MONTGOMERY, AL (WSFA) -
The lack of riders at the Montgomery's Intermodel Terminal, the hub for the city's mass transit system, tells the story best. A fee increase in January, from $1.00 to $2.00 dropped traffic by more than 4,000 in only four months.
Marketing Director, Victoria Belton, says the decrease happened instantly, "Some completely stopped riding, others cut back their number of trips." In December, MATS held two public forums, allowing its ridership to vote whether to raise the bus fare, or decrease the number of routes. The ridership voted overwhelmingly to increase the fare.
The fare increase was implemented to offset slumping revenues during the first quarter, brought on by 28,000. Numbers Mayor Todd Strange watches closely, "MATS has not been held accountable to what their budget is."
Strange is working to help MATS manage it's almost impossible budget, by making quarterly adjustments. Strange says MATS can only support $1 million of it's $7 million dollar budget. The other $6 million is traditionally split between the city and the federal governments, for now.
"Because we've grown, there's a risk of us losing those federal share," Strange reports.
Belton explains, "This is not going as planned." She says more cost-cutting measures will be implemented in June: shortening routes and trimming an hour off Saturday's bus service.
A one-two punch, for a service some in the city can't afford to live without.
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A bus leaves the MATS hub in Montgomery.
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