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Town leaders worry about losing Flex bus
Banner Daily Update Sun. Nov. 18
By Pru Sowers
Banner Staff
PROVINCETOWN – Despite having the lowest ridership in the Flex Route bus system, town officials and business leaders here are deeply worried about the possible demise of the popular bus route.
Reacting to reports that the bus system is over $1 million in the hole and may have to shut down its operations next month, selectmen last week expressed dismay that the hundreds of residents and visitors who use the bus service may have to find alternate transportation.
“Flex is extremely important,” Town Manager Sharon Lynn said. “We should do whatever we can to continue the service.”
There may be a limit, however, to how much Provincetown can help the financially ailing bus system. The town currently pays $4,096 a year to the Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority for its portion of the Flex operating budget that is not reimbursed by the state. The town does not have any additional money to pay a higher assessment, Lynn said, particularly in light of last week’s defeat of all proposed budget increases on the special election ballot.
But a loss of the regional bus system, which carried 4,260 riders from Provincetown between May 2006 and June 2007, would hurt both residents and tourists. In addition, foreign workers who come to Provincetown to work in the summer but who can’t afford to live here need the Flex because they usually don’t have cars.
The total local assessment for the Flex Route to the seven towns participating in 2007 is $24,720. If the additional funding is not obtained, the same towns will have an additional assessment of $968,334.
Flex ridership totaled 60,164 from May 2006 to June 2007. Provincetown accounted for seven percent of that ridership, Truro 20 percent, Wellfleet 10 percent and Eastham 13 percent. The buses carry riders between Harwich and Provincetown.
For more on this story, see the Nov. 22 Provincetown Banner.
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Nov 15th, 2007