From tiny, rural towns scattered with houses and local businesses to metropolitan cities with skyscrapers and endless apartment complexes, people from all walks of life rely on public transportation to bring them where they need to go. In Western Massachusetts, the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority (PVTA) is the main busing system that also incorporates van rides for elderly and disabled citizens with curbside pick up and wheelchair accessibility. This is the largest public transportation organization in the state with over 300 buses and vans in route throughout the 24 Pioneer Valley towns. It was established in 1974, and it receives funding from the Regional Transit Authorities (RTA) as well as local, state and federal governments in order to serve the public day in and day out.
The RTA has been slowly cutting funding from each regional organization for the past few years because they are unable to keep up with inflation. This year, however, they will be funding the PVTA less than ever before, and the proposed changes are the most significant that have been seen in over a decade. There will be a loss of a total of $3.1 million in funding, also attributed to increased costs of vehicles, gasoline, maintenance and wages. The PVTA is being forced to reduce nearly 1/5 of their total yearly service; therefore, beginning in the fiscal year 2019, or July 1, 2018, all of the 43 routes that are operated daily will be affected by this change. In one year, it is estimated that over 1.1 million trips with be scrapped. They begin by reducing the frequency of the routes with the least amount of passengers, and then go on to reduce all of the leftover routes by up to 50% in some areas. This affects college students, working adults and elderly and disabled citizens significantly because many of them depend on this transportation to go to work, school, medical appointments and run their daily errands.
In addition, the PVTA is raising their fares, or bus “tickets,” for the first time in over a decade. In hopes to generate an extra $900,000 per year, a 20% increase will be implemented with the route change on July 1, 2018. Originally, a 25% fare increase was proposed, but only a 20% increase was granted. All 20 fare types will be affected by this change. For example, the price for a one day bus pass was $1.25, but it will now be $1.50. The price for a 31 day pass was $45.00, but it will now be $54.00. The list goes on, and every fare has been significantly raised. Despite the fare increase, the PVTA are projected to lose over $450,000 per year due to the decrease in daily trips.
These changes will affect everyone across the board, but most importantly and most relatable to this generation is the struggle for college students. Western Massachusetts is a big college area, and many schools encourage students to take classes at other universities in the area through the five college consortium. Specifically, most of the students who attend the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst College, Hampshire College, Mount Holyoke College and Smith College are likely to attend one of those other schools. Figures show that college students belonging to these five schools took approximately 820,000 trips on the four main routes for free. If they all paid the normal fare, the PVTA would accumulate over $1 million. Yet, the colleges contribute only half of that in annual dues. Students trying to travel to and from Springfield Technical Community College, Holyoke Community College, Westfield State University, American International College, Western New England University, Elms College and Bay Path College will also be affected. Students will be forced to bring cars on campus, if they even have that option because many colleges do not allow it, which will cause more auto congestion on and off campus and will also make it more difficult for students, staff and visitors to find parking. If students don’t own a car or cannot find other transportation, they would be forced to drop the academic class that they paid hundreds of dollars for.
In addition, three of these colleges are located on or around State Street in Springfield, which is currently a busy construction area. And, the new Springfield Casino will be opening in at the end of August, also on State Street. The lack of PVTA buses and increase of cars on that road will cause more congestion than there already is, making the commute on that road longer for people who may not have time to spare.
Not only will these students be affected, but the working class will also be. The reduction of frequency as well as the lack of funding could cause the PVTA to eliminate drivers, taking jobs away for the public. Also, a large number of frequent bus-goers include working parents, couples with only one car and the elderly who are not able to drive. Not only will the route change affect their ability to ride the bus, but perhaps the most significant issue will be the fare increase. Working people who have to support children and themselves may not have the extra few dollars to spare, and it could put them as well as elderly and disabled riders in a difficult financial situation.
So, what good can be seen in this change? According to Douglas Slaughter, the Amherst Select Board Chairman, “the proposal is to reduce off-peak service and restructure routes that are considered low performing.” There was a 7% decrease in cumulative ridership in 2017, which also attributes to the lack of necessary funding. The reduction of travel will save fuel for the vehicles and therefore save money used to buy fuel. It may also cause less congestion on busy streets late at night as well as in the morning when work traffic is at an all time high. However, due to people needed to use cars more often, there could amount to a higher pollution level from increased need of car gasoline.
Next time you see a PVTA bus drive by, look inside. Chances are, at least one of those lives, if not all of them, will be burdened.
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