Friday, Aug. 29, 2008

More travel Tri-Cities by transit bus, vanpool

By Pratik Joshi, Herald staff writer

Paul Dolph relies on buses to get around town.

He doesn't drive because of a medical condition but the West Richland man loves to bike and he's thankful that Ben Franklin Transit buses have bike racks.

That's convenient and cheap, he said. People can save a lot of gas money by riding the bus, said Dolph, 46.

And that's likely why Ben Franklin Transit has seen a significant increase in the number of people using public transportation.

A total of 313,200 Tri-Citians rode Ben Franklin Transit buses in July, an increase of about 33 percent compared to the same period in 2007 when 235,333 passengers traveled by bus, said Christy Watts, marketing supervisor for Ben Franklin Transit.

Also, the number of vanpool riders climbed about 38 percent, from 72,490 in July 2007 to 100,356 in July 2008, and the number of night service users jumped about 46 percent, from 7,632 to 11,161 in the same period. That's a significant gain, Watts said.

Passengers often have to stand on the bus during morning and evening rush hours, she said, adding bus ridership is expected to increase after Labor Day when many students resume school. The transit system has about 53 buses on the road during peak hours.

Ben Franklin Transit plans to buy six new buses by the middle of next year, Watts said. And officials have no immediate plans to raise bus fares.

Though vanpool fares will go up 5 percent in October and the agency is proposing an additional charge of $1.25 for night service trips after 11 p.m., using public transit is still cheaper than driving cars, said Tim Fredrickson, Ben Franklin Transit general manager.

A fare increase barely covers costs, he said. Operational costs are high because of high fuel costs. But the transit agency doesn't want ticket prices to be so high that people stop using the service, Fredrickson said. It's a constant balancing act, he said.

Watts said a person can save more than $7,976 a year by using public transportation in the Tri-Cities instead of driving a personal vehicle. That's an average of $665 a month based on Thursday's average gas price of $3.95 a gallon as reported by AAA. The savings include costs of gas, insurance, depreciation, license tab renewal fees and maintenance, Watts said.

Destiny Reeves, 16, commutes from her home in Richland to Southridge High in Kennewick by Ben Franklin Transit buses. "It's so cheap," she said. Most of her friends and family also use buses to avoid paying high prices at the pump, she said.

Almost every bus passenger complains about gas prices, said Budd Donelson, a transit coach operator. He's seen a lot of new faces lately on his routes, he said

Most inner city routes are busy, particularly Route 225 that runs between Pasco and Richland.

Ben Franklin Transit is constantly evaluating traffic to modify the routes as needed, Watts said. Recently, the transit agency changed several routes, including Route 39, to extend service to new areas.

Fredrickson said the increase in ridership is gratifying and challenging at the same time. High fuel costs make it hard for the transit agency to make significant additions to service. "We don't have enough resources," he said.

But people who ride the buses understand the dilemma the agency faces. Often they have told the transit board and staff that they would like to see small, but frequent fare increases, instead of one hefty rise every few years.

For more information about transit fares and schedules, go to www.bft.org.