PORT ANGELES — Clallam Transit is considering cutting service on certain additional holidays and raising some fares and wants to hear from the public on the proposals.
Clallam Transit’s operating expenses are projected to outweigh operating revenue $7.9 million to $6.8 million this year, said Terry Weed, Clallam Transit general manager.
Upcoming public meetings
The governing board of the public organization plans hearings on both the proposed service reductions and fare increases:
• At 1 p.m. Monday at the Sequim Transit Center, 190 W. Cedar St.
• At 1 p.m. Monday, May 17, in the Forks City Council chambers, 500 E. Division St.
A public hearing only on the proposed fare increase — since a hearing on service cuts was held in Port Angeles in February — is set:
• At 1 p.m. Monday, April 19, in the Clallam Transit headquarters, 830 W. Lauridsen Blvd., Port Angeles.
Fare increase
The proposed fare increase would raise the base fare from 75 cents to $1 on all fixed-route and paratransit modes of travel.
The premium day pass fare would increase from $2 to $3.
Summer quarter youth passes would increase from $10 to $20.
No change to the monthly bus pass rate is proposed.
“This current comprehensive change proposal reflects the current need for additional revenues, especially in light of the elapsed time span from the last fares adjustment,” Weed said in a notice of the hearings.
Clallam Transit’s last fare hike took place in 1997.
Service cuts
Clallam Transit is proposing cutting service on Presidents Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Veterans Day and the day after Thanksgiving.
Clallam Transit buses do not run now on Sundays and on New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.
If approved, the service changes would take effect in July and first impact Veterans Day on Nov. 11.
No public comment was taken in the first public hearing in Port Angeles on Feb. 22.
Transit cut its bus service on the same holidays between 2000 to 2005, Weed said.
“We did not have service on those holidays in recognition of budget constraints, so we’re kind of going back to that,” Weed said.
“We’re assuming it’s a short-term fix.”
Economic conditions would determine how long the service cuts would remain in effect, Weed said.
Clallam Transit typically runs buses Monday through Saturday.
Information about the proposed changes is available at the Clallam Transit office at 830 W. Lauridsen Blvd., Port Angeles, or by phoning the office at 360-452-1315 or 800-858-3747.
Written comments on service reductions will be taken until May 7. They can be mailed to the Clallam Transit office in Port Angeles.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-417-3537 or at rob.ollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
