By Mark Wineka
Salisbury Post
Operating costs for city buses are projected to increase by almost $100,000 in the next fiscal year, thanks mostly to increasing fuel prices.
Salisbury Transit Director Rodney Harrison reported to Salisbury City Council Wednesday that the operating costs for his division will increase from $661,203 this fiscal year to $758,359 ó an increase of $97,156.
Besides higher fuel costs, several buses will no longer be covered by warranties, and Harrison has figured in higher maintenance costs for that equipment. Additional safety training also is an extra expense.
While federal and state monies fund 85 percent of Salisbury Transit’s administrative costs and 90 percent of the capital outlay, the city is responsible for 80 percent of the yearly operating costs.
According to a proposed budget, Salisbury would be responsible for $606,687 in operating, $30,253 in administrative and $20,047 in capital costs, for a total of $656,986.
But the city could receive $205,000 from the State Maintenance Assistance Program and $81,000 from bus fares and other revenue to make the city’s total financial commitment for bus service $370,986, Harrison said.
City Council held a public hearing Wednesday on Salisbury Transit’s proposed budget, a step toward its application for a Community Transportation Program Grant through the N.C. Department of Transportation.
An application for funding goes to the DOT’s Public Transportation Division each year. Federal and state monies combine to pay for roughly 85 percent of the transit system’s costs.
Salisbury Transit’s proposed total budget for 2008-2009 is $1,160,512, which is actually down more than $500,000 from this fiscal year’s $1,678,408. The main reason for the decrease is the city won’t be purchasing any new buses.
But the city’s share after reimbursement would increase $31,018, mostly because of the increased operating expenses.
Salisbury City Council approved a resolution Wednesday to apply for the Community Transportation Program Grant. In other action, council approved the purchase of two new Gillig Transit buses for a total price of $721,286.
Under funding formulas in place, the city pays 10 percent of that figure for the 35-foot, low-floor buses.
In the 2006-2007 fiscal year, Salisbury Transit saw its ridership increase 4.58 percent to 144,978 riders.
Its Americans with Disabilities paratransit ridership showed an 8.7 percent increase for the fiscal year ending June 2007 to 6,910 total trips.
Salisbury Transit received a glowing report from state inspectors who made a two-day visit in October.
The inspectors assessed the Transit Division in six core elements including driver/employee selection, driver/employee training, safety data, drug and alcohol abuse programs, vehicle maintenance and security and found no deficiencies in any of the categories.
Richard Kelly, risk manager for the city, noted that the “hands-on audit” of Salisbury Transit in 2007 replaced what used to be a “desk review” in which compliance was a matter of the city’s doing its own inspection and reporting back to the state.
The Public Transportation Division was so pleased with the city’s documentation in October that inspectors did not even ride with drivers on their routes, Harrison reported.
Kelly said the state is urging some larger cities to use Salisbury as a model for their System Safety Program Plan. He added that Salisbury was one of the few public transit systems without deficiencies.
“Overall, the Salisbury Transit System has a very good safety and training program and a fully implemented SSPP (System Safety Program Plan),” the inspectors said in a Nov. 16, 2007, letter.
Kelly said Harrison and Public Services Director Tony Cinquemani deserve pats on the back for their concerted efforts to put safety first.
In 19 out of 20 years, the transit system has earned safety awards from the city manager in addition to three safety awards from the N.C. Public Transportation Association, Kelly said.
At the state inspection, Salisbury had four full-sized buses and two shorter versions. It also had eight drivers, of which five were full-time. All six buses are wheel-chair accessible.
Contact Mark Wineka at 704-797-4263 or mwineka@salisburypost.com.