Ridership climbs
Snake River Transit service begins to gain momentum
By Larry Meyer
Argus Observer
Saturday, October 25, 2008 11:45 PM PDT
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| Larry Meyer | Argus Observer
Melanie Campbell, Ontario, loads her peach trees on to the Snake River Transit bus Friday afternoon in Fruitland. Campbell said the bus is the only way she can get purchases to her house, since her other mode of transportation is a bicycle. |
ONTARIO—More than 1,000 riders used the Snake River Transit buses during its first month of operation, and numbers increased significantly during the month of October.
The boost in numbers has transit officials pleased with the program’s progress.
“I think it is going great,” Ontario Police Chief Mike Kee, who is a member of the transit advisory committee, said.
The service started Sept. 15. According to the latest ridership numbers, recently presented to the Ontario City Council, there were 388 riders for the first 12 days of operation, from Sept. 16 to Sept. 30.
However, the numbers show that, during the first few days of October, the numbers climbed substantially with 655 riders in the first 10 days of this month. Those numbers were helped by school field trips to teach students how to ride the bus.
About 60 percent of the riders, though, have been adults, Kee said. About 21 percent have been youth under 18, 11 percent senior citizens and eight percent people with disabilities, according to driver estimates, Kee said.
“In December, we will look at tweaking the routes,” he said, particularly a stop in the downtown Ontario area.
Fares now required to take the bus are: $1 per ride for adults, age 18 to 54; 75 cents for youth, 6 to 18 and 50 cents for senior citizens. Monthly passes are $30 for adults, $20 for youth and $15 for seniors. Running from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., the buses leave every hour, on the hour, from the southeast corner of the Wal-Mart store, with one taking the Ontario loop, which goes out to the Social Security office, before heading back into Ontario, and one taking the Fruitland/Payette route. Transit system driver Jamie Spiller said the ridership has gone down a little since the fares are now in place, “but not a whole lot. They still need to ride.”
Melanie Campbell, who has lived in Ontario just a few months, was one of the riders Friday afternoon. She was on her way to Fruitland to get fruit trees.
“This is the only way I can get around. I need to get things at the store,” she said.
Her only other form of transportation is a bicycle, she said. B. Young got on the bus in Payette.
“I love this system,” Young, who was going shopping, said. “I’ve been spreading the word about it. It’s a blessing. I’m strictly on a bicycle.”
At least one area elected leader said the climb in ridership is a good sign.
“I was happy it was doing so great,” Lewie Allen, Ontario city councilman, said.
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