State funding cuts threaten bus service between Bloomington and Ellettsville

Despite a $220,000 reduction in state funding, Ellettsville leaders are promising Rural Transit bus service for the town's residents will continue in 2024.

The Monroe County Council this week approved spending $88,000 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds and the Ellettsville Town Council is promising $132,000 in funding so its residents can continue using the low-cost rural bus service.

Town council member William Ellis said the board will discuss and vote on the unexpected and unbudgeted appropriation at the Dec. 11 meeting.

He said it may involve some creative financing, since this issue didn't arise until after the 2024 town budget was set.

"I don't see where it is going to come from, but it is something we are going to have to do," Ellis said. "We will be voting, somehow, to fund that service. As of right now, though, we don't know what shape or form it will come in."

He said Ellettsville-area residents who use Rural Transit have depended on it for more than three decades and would be in a difficult spot if the service were no longer available.

Earlier this year: Rural Transit looks to Owen County to help pay for new bus

"There are people that have no transportation to get groceries, go to Walmart and the biggest thing it's used for, which is doctor's appointments in Bloomington," Ellis pointed out. "We can't just say, 'Now you're out of luck.' Rest assured, we are going to take care of this."

That's good news for people like 78-year-old Jeanne Salyers, who never got a driver's license. At 9:30 on Thursday mornings, a Rural Transit vehicle takes her to Walmart in Bloomington, a 12-mile trip. The bus picks her up at 11, and she's home before lunch. She also uses the service for doctor visits.

'Stop-gap' solution for Ellettsville bus users

Ellis said the last-minute financial support isn't a long-term solution to the state funding shortfall. He expects ongoing negotiations with Bloomington Transit and other stakeholders to find a more permanent solution.

"We've got to learn more about Rural Transit, its funding mechanism and how we can sustain service for Ellettsville," Ellis said. "Whatever decision we make for Jan. 1 is probably not going to be a permanent solution. It's a stop-gap measure, so that no one gets stranded."

Why is state funding disappearing?

According to a Rural Transit report to the Monroe County Council, INDOT consultants who analyzed the agency's trips from December 2022 to May 2023 found that 60% of the trips from one urban area to another, which is about 8,000, started or ended in Ellettsville.

It's these trips that INDOT will no longer subsidize; the state was paying up to 50%. In order for the service to continue, a $220,000 funding gap must be filled.

The county council this past week appropriated $88,000 from ARPA funding, which covers the 40% of trips not Ellettsville related.

"We don't have the luxury of time to negotiate details as to city funding that is supposed to support service in populated areas," county commissioner Julie Thomas said, referring to funds Bloomington Transit receives that could be used to make up the loss. "Hopefully some long-range planning will be done."

Keeping Rural Transit available

The town of Ellettsville will have to provide the rest of the financial support. Thomas and county council member Trent Deckard went to the Nov. 27 Ellettsville Town Council meeting, offering to pay 40% if the town paid the rest so the service could continue seamlessly through 2024.

County attorney Jeff Cockerill called the situation "not a minor issue" since so many people with no access to a bus system depend on the affordable transportation.

"We want to make sure no one loses services in 2024 based on that change in policy," Cockerill said, referencing the INDOT decision.

The full cost for a Rural Transit trip is about at $27.41, so 8,000 trips would be nearly $220,000 for a full year.

Ellettsville-based Area 10 Agency on Aging oversees Rural Transit, which provides to-your-door rural bus service to people in Monroe, Owen, Lawrence and Putnam counties.

Rural Transit has a fleet of 29 buses and transport vans: 10 in Monroe, three in Owen, four in Lawrence and six in Putnam. Six more buses are available during peak times or when others are being repaired.

The vehicles are wheelchair accessible and run 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. Riders call several days in advance, reserve a seat and pay $6 round trip. If they travel in two counties, the cost is $12 from home and back.

Contact H-T reporter Laura Lane at llane@heraldt.com or 812-318-5967.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Funding cuts threaten Rural Transit service to and from Ellettsville