OTTUMWA —
New public transit legislation could mean transit agencies across the state will receive less funding for the purchase of new buses.
At Thursday morning’s 10/15 Transit Board of Directors meeting, board members learned of a recent bill passed in Congress that will extend public transit funding through September 2014, but will also reduce funding available to Iowa transit agencies for the purchase of new buses.
Ottumwa Transit Executive Director Diane Gawronski was disappointed, especially since purchasing new buses is a common topic of discussion at Ottumwa Transit.
The bill, Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century, or MAP-21, will provide $105 billion for the nation’s surface transportation programs over the next 27 months.
In U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin’s letter to transit officials, he said the bus and bus facilities program will be downsized, turned into a formula program and affected in the following ways:
• Reduced from $984 million to $422 million
• $65.5 million will be allocated so each state receives $1.25 million
• Remaining funds will be distributed with a formula with factors heavily weighted toward major metropolitan centers
• Iowa will receive significantly less funding for bus replacement and facilities
A/C units good to go
Despite Ottumwa Transit’s challenges with air conditioning unit failures on its newer fixed route buses, Operations Manager Dave Silverio said 10/15 Transit’s buses, while they have a lot of mileage, have minimal problems and no problems with their air conditioning units.
Silverio said he’s working with Thermo King, the manufacturer of Ottumwa Transit’s A/C units, so the next time one needs to be replaced, Silverio will send the entire unit back to Thermo King, whose engineers will do a study on the unit.
“The difficulty we’ve had with these units is we’re not able to get replacements,” Silverio said of Ottumwa Transit’s A/C units.
The A/C units came as a package with the buses when they were purchased. Gawronski said the choice of buses was not the best, and since they were “all purchased at the same time, they’re breaking at the same time.”
An unfair trade?
10/15 Transit had to turn over four of its buses to Lee County after the county’s departure from the 28E agreement.
“I’m not happy with the way that transpired,” said Jefferson County Supervisor Lee Dimmitt said.
Silverio said Lee County came out with two of 10/15 Transit’s better buses, and the buses 10/15 got in return were lower quality, one of which “has to go,” Silverio said.
Wapello County
July 27, 2012
Public transit bill could mean less funding for transit agencies
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