Transportation in Athens is often thought of as a public good — but there is a long way to go before Athens County’s public transportation system could effectively serve the county’s workers. Our local public transportation system must be transformed to include more bus routes and stops, longer hours of operation, higher pay for bus drivers, more city jobs for those positions, and the elimination of all bus fares.
City spending on transportation is extremely low in comparison to other departments. According to city expense reports, Athens spent $65,392.15 on transportation in 2019, which is an 87% decrease from 2016, when the city spent $122,565.54 on transportation. Spending on transportation has been cut by $57,173.39 in the past four years.
For comparison, the City of Athens spent $6.2 million on the police department and parking enforcement in 2019. Likewise, the city has increased costs for administration by $607,406.32 in the past four years, almost nine times the overall spending on transportation in 2019. Meanwhile, transportation is among the lowest spending departments.
It is not that Athens cannot afford to provide free and expanded transportation to the community; our local government chooses not to.
In 2020, the world has seen high rates of unemployment brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, and the Athens community has been heavily impacted. Now more than ever, direct policy action is needed to take the financial pressure off of struggling families; free public transportation in Athens is a start.
Around 200 cities worldwide have implemented such systems, including Lawrence, Massachusetts which originally proposed a two-year pilot program of no fees that, in the first couple months, increased the use of buses by 24%. The mayor has since announced they want to continue due to its success.
In Athens, Hocking Athens Perry Community Action [HAPCAP] partners with the city to run Athens Public Transit. One-way bus trips cost $1.00, and a number of passes are available ranging from $3 for a day and $140 for a year. People with disabilities or over the age of 65 are eligible for a discounted price of roughly 50 percent off all fares, according to HAPCAP’s website. Discounted youth passes are also available.
The Bobcat Pass allows Ohio University students, staff, and faculty to ride free, according to HAPCAP’s website. It is not clear why HAPCAP and the city would allow people associated with the university to ride without fares, but make everyone else pay for the service.
Bus fares can be a problem for families living paycheck-to-paycheck because transportation costs do add up. Many cannot afford the one-time payment for a yearly pass, which can make regular use of the service inaccessible.
The bus fare system punishes people for being financially vulnerable.
With the fares for the bussing system already so low, the City of Athens should remove all fares to make the public transportation system free for everyone. Eliminating fares would increase access for community members and provide more people the choice to limit their carbon footprints.
Free public transportation not only provides financial relief for families, but it also encourages fewer cars on the road, lowering greenhouse gas emissions. In February, the Athens City Council declared a climate emergency for the city. Adopting free public transportation could help address this emergency, working to preserve our local environment.
Removing bus fares is not the only thing the city should do. For those living outside of the city, where bus routes are highly limited, going to work or grocery shopping becomes nearly impossible. More routes could be created to service those throughout the county.
Service times should also be expanded. There are seven bus routes and hours of operation vary. The latest busses operate until 9:54 pm, according to HAPCAP’s website, but other lanes stop after 6:45 pm. These times exclude working-class people working second or third shift and expansion of these hours are needed to make transportation completely accessible.
Expanding and creating more routes not only increases access but also creates more city jobs.
Money can be reallocated from the bloated police budget to offset the costs of these transformations, which would do more for the people in the community than policing ever has. However, the city council has made their stance clear that they will continue to fund policing in the Athens community, despite the impact the money could have if reallocated.
There are other options to pay for free public transportation, as well. Land value capture is a proposed way to pay for transit. Infrastructure like bus stops increases property and land value. Therefore, wealthy landowners should pay for the service to offset the price, according to Jan Scheurer, quoted in Free Public Transit And Why We Don’t Pay to Ride Elevators. Bus stops in Athens are located at apartment complexes such as River Park, The Summit, University Courtyard, River Annex, and others.
For the case of Lawrence, Massachusetts experimenting with two-year free transportation, the mayor found that the revenue was so low from fares of the most used bus lines that the city could offset the costs with cash reserves.
In order for public transportation to work, it’s important that the expansion of service isn’t paid for in a regressive way, such as a sales tax. The goal is to offset costs for poor, working-class families in Appalachia to provide safe, reliable transportation for the community.
It is time to stop treating transportation as a commodity. Transportation is a public necessity and the city should guarantee access for everyone.
Kailee Missler
Kailee Missler is a contributor to Athens Left Field based in Athens County. You can follow her on twitter with the handle @kaileerenee99.