Prosser riders say they'll pay more to keep transit

PROSSER -- Bob Travaille uses Ben Franklin Transit's demand-response service about 10 times each week.

So when rumors started circulating through Prosser that the city's transportation service was going to be modified, Travaille became concerned.

"First thing we heard is they were going to delete it altogether. That wasn't good," he said Wednesday. "Now we hear they're going to reduce it."

Travaille was among dozens of residents who attended an afternoon meeting at Keene-Riverview Elementary School in Prosser to discuss possible changes to the city's transportation service with transit officials.

The meeting essentially was an open forum with several tables set up where residents could look at materials and speak one on one with transit officials, who said no changes are set in stone.

Transit officials presented several options for discussion. One was a fixed-route system with Dial-a-Ride available for the handicapped, similar to what's offered in the Tri-Cities. Another was a deviated fixed route, which features established pick-up areas, which riders would have to call a day ahead to utilize -- similar to how transit operates in Finley. Dial-a-Ride would also be available in the second option.

Travaille wasn't satisfied with either.

"(A fixed route) won't work in the country, there's just too much country," he said. "There's not enough buses."

Instead, Travaille said he'd rather pay higher fees to keep the existing system, which allows riders to call transit and schedule a bus to pick them up.

Shauna Peters, who lives in unincorporated Benton County outside Prosser, shared Travaille's sentiments, saying she'd gladly pay higher fees so her middle school-aged children can continue using transit's demand-response service to and from school. Peters' other children use Prosser School District buses, standard and handicapped.

Peters said she doesn't want her older children riding the iconic yellow school bus.

"The school bus, there's kids on there that have drugs, that talk about drugs and pornography," she said. "It's just a yucky atmosphere."

Kathy McMullen, transit's service development manager, said transit officials would take the residents' ideas and comments and weigh them as Prosser's transportation service is evaluated. She said numerous residents said they were willing to pay higher fees so the existing service can continue.

"That's something a lot of people brought up and it's something we have to look at," she said.

However, McMullen added that higher fees could negatively affect low-income riders.

She also acknowledged that many children and teens use the demand-response service to get to and from school. She said transit's ridership in Prosser drops between 30 percent and 40 percent in June, when school is out. She added that the drop could be related to the warmer weather, which may spark potential riders to walk.

She said transit officials will likely present options for future transportation services in Prosser in late October or early November. She said changes won't likely be made before June, so the school district doesn't have to scramble to accommodate more students riding school buses.

-- Drew Foster: 585-7207; dfoster@tricityherald.com