LCTB comments, responses

8/11/2019 LCTB comments, responses

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RECEIVEDFROM

COMMENT OR QUESTION RESPONSE

Eugenia C.(via verbalcommentprior topublic inputsession)

Comment: Need Sunday service. Maybe raise fares but know that maybe hard for some individuals.

Thank you for your comment. Service hour reductionsare being considered by the Board during hours oflowest ridership so that the Licking County Transit Board(LCTB) can meet its fiscal obligations and still maintaincore service hours for the maximum number of riders.Raising fares would be an option; however, it would bea hardship on the low income individuals using theservice. In addition, the fare would be quite high tocover the cost of providing services during those hours.For example: The average cost for service isapproximately $24.01 per trip.

Nancy N.(via emailcommentprior topublic inputsession)

Comment: I had a call from a lady who lives in Granville late yesterdayafternoon. She evidently attends church with a lady who relies on LCTBto get to church every Sunday because she has MS. This lady will beaffected by the reduction in Sunday transportation. She referenced apending public comment period about the reduction and indicated sheplanned to attend.

Thank you for the information. I will add the below tothe comments collected.

Janet G. (viawrittencomment atpublic inputsession)

Comment: I hope that the transit board will call on the expertise ofnational Express to devise a means to generate income using thevehicles that we have. I feel very full buses would generate the moneyto subsidize the more expensive trips. We trust that our electedofficials and the appointed board members will exhibit carefulstewardship of the public money which we have to find creativesolutions to our transportation needs. Our most severely handicappedcitizens deserve to have access to the solace of worship services.

Thank you for your comment. The Board has proposedthe service hour reductions to meet its fiscal obligationsand still maintain core service hours for the maximumnumber of riders. This was not an easy decision for theBoard as it knows there may be some riders affected,however, to be good stewards of the public money theBoard must do what it deems necessary to keep thetransit system financially sound.

Rev DwightD. (viawrittencomment atpublic inputsession)

Comment: As a pastor of a local church, I feel strongly, as do many ofmy colleagues, that we should be attentive to both the physical andspiritual/emotional needs of the people. SPARK, a program for peoplewith disabilities in Licking County, meets & operates out of our church,so Ive been able to learn much about what sustains people withdisabilities. Many folks spend little quality time with adults with typical

Thank you for your comment. This was not an easydecision for the Board as it knows there may be someriders affected, however, to be good stewards of thepublic money the Board must do what it deemsnecessary to keep the transit system financial ly sound.There are many nuances to a fixed route system,


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ability levels-and for many, church attendance is one of the preciousfew opportunities people have to be in genuine community-amongstothers who treat them with dignity and respect. In short, churchattendance is an important way many of these folks pull themselvesup. I realize that there are financial constrain ts that would temp theboard to fully cancel Sunday transit options for people with disabilities.But what I see happening is that, once again, the heads of the leastamong us are the ones being put on the chopping block of efficiency.Surely there are other ways to rethink this revenue-cost system thatwould preserve even a reduced-service/higher cost option so thatpeople who so desperately need the encouragement are communitiesof faith provide can make their way to church on Sundays. Perhaps weneed to take seriously the option of fundamentally rethinking thesystem-since a fixed route system could provide efficiencies andrevenue. Thank you all!

including additional costs. The Board and Licking CountyTransit (LCT) staff has been working with a consultantover the past year to research potential alternativeservices that will best fit the needs of the communitywithin the financial capacity of the transit system. Theconsultants hope to have the Transit Development Plan(TDP) completed by early 2015.

Rev DwightD. (via emailto ChairmanTim Bubb)

Comment: Thanks again for your service to our community. You mayremember that I wrote you a note last week expressing concern aboutthe Sunday transit cuts proposed by the Transit board, since Ipersonally know a few people (one of whom is in my congregation)who rely on this service to get them to church on Sundays. Yesterday,I read the Advocate article in which you were quoted as having said,There are oth er services, they have other ways to get people tochurch." Now I, myself have had the experience of my original wordshaving been changed by the time I see them in print in the Advocate,so it may be that that's not exactly what you said. In any case, after

that article went on-line, a number of my parishioners have beenasking me: Question 1. What are those "other options" for people inwheelchairs? Question 2. Could you clarify what those options wouldbe? Thanks so much, Dwight.

Dear Pastor D...Thanks for taking the time tocorrespond and share your concerns. Frankly, ourTransit Board shares those concerns. We have struggledover the past year to make the numbers work - howeverthe marginal service hours, including those on Sunday,could very well mean a six-figure deficit this year.Simply stated the Transit function has to at least breakeven and pay its bills. Our Board is reluctantlyconsidering this cutback in an effort to preserve thecore rural mass transit service on weekdays and a

reduced schedule on Saturday. We certainly are tryingto avoid having to cut core service hours which wouldadversely affect many folks, and critical weekday tripssuch as medical and getting people without a ride towork. Over the last year we have made cuts and aretrying to operate as lean as possible in this expensiveenvironment. Items such as labor, maintenance, vehiclecost and expensive fuel make rural mass transit in thislarge County a challenge. And operating at a huge loss


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on some marginal service hours may no longer makesense. Again, the goal here is t rying to preserve our coreweekday and Saturday transit program. The only otheroption to generate additional operating funds, toessentially further subsidize this program, would be aCountywide transit levy; and I don't think a newproperty tax proposal would be well received. Maybeyou will think differently. Answer: Finally, I do realizethat other public transit options may not currently exist,though it is possible the local cab company might againadd a para transit vehicle to their fleet. Answer: Theonly other option might be a combined church basedtransit option, and maybe that is something we coulddiscuss at some point. Again, thanks for the note.Regards...Licking County Commissioner Tim Bubb.

Dr. CherylM. (viawrittencomment atpublic inputsession)

Comment: First, I am sad that the information presented at the publicsession today was not completer Only the facts pertaining to adecision/proposal were offered. This tack of clear persuasive detailmakes a painful decision difficult to support. While its clear that theproposed remedy represents considerable savings, it does notdemonstrate or illustrate why the proposed remedy is a sounddecision. Question 1. What other alternatives have been considered?Question 2. Why were they deemed less viable than the onepresented today? Comment: As to other considerations, I want toemphasize how necessary this transport is for county citizens with

disabilities. No other alternative is available to get them to churchservices. Thus, eliminating Sunday entirely removes social support forour community members with disabilities. Curtailing otherservices/other days in order to make Sundays possible during,perhaps, abbreviated hours (until 1pm?) would be preferable.Obviously, savings and coordination are important goals. But thehuman toll should not be discounted simply because of the bottomline. Thank you for considering these remarks.

Thank you for your comment. The Licking County TransitBoard (LCTB) was required to present to the public therationale and outline of the proposed changes as part ofthe public participation process as identified in theLCTBs Major Service Reduction Policy. Answer 1 & 2: Inshort, yes other alternatives were discussed andconsidered by the Board. They are as follows: FareIncrease: A fare increase would not be substantialenough to cover the costs of services during marginalservice hours. In addition this would cause a hardship

on the low income individuals using the service. Cuttingof other service times: We certainly are trying to avoidhaving to cut core service hours which would adverselyaffect many riders taking the critical weekday trips formedical and those individuals who are without a ride towork. Tax Levy: May be an option to generate additionaloperating funds to essentially further subsidize thetransit system, it would be a Countywide transit levy;and it was determined that a new property tax proposal


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would not be well received. Joint Lease: Poses potentiallegal and insurance concerns. The Mid-Ohio RegionalPlanning Commission (MORPC): MORPC was contactedin an effort to assist with potential car or van poolingoptions. This may or may not meet the needs of allriders. Potential Alternative Services: Time is theconcern with this alternative because of the currentfiscal obligations of the LCTB. However, the Board andLicking County Transit (LCT) staff will continue to workwith a consultant to research potential alternativeservices that will best fit the needs of the communitywithin the financial capacity of the transit system. Theestimated time of completion is early 2015.The Board has proposed the service hour reductions tomeet its fiscal obligations and still maintain core servicehours. This was not an easy decision for the Board as itknows there may be some riders affected, however, tobe good stewards of the public money the Board mustdo what it deems necessary to keep the transit systemfinancially sound.

Gerald N.(via writtencomment atpublic inputsession)

Comment: LCATS will continue to offer assistance to the LCTB. We alsowant to be certain that the proposed service hours reduction ischosen as a last resort to reduce costs. It still appears combining tripsand rides have not been fully resolved which will lessen expenses. As itrelates to the careful balance of services to cost, it appears

closing/eliminating Sunday service for those unable to drive should bemore carefully examined.

Thank you for your comment. The Licking County TransitBoard (LCTB) appreciates your offer of continuedtechnical assistance. The proposed service reductionwas not an easy decision for the Board as it knows theremay be some riders affected. The need to reduce

current service hours was however carefully examined.The ridership during the current service hours prior toLCTB assuming all the transit services for Licking Countywas a concern. Over the past year the ridership hasbeen monitored as well as the expense to operate theextensive service hours. The Board has determined thatoperating at a huge loss on some marginal service hoursmay no longer make sense. In response to your concernregarding combining rides, the LCTB is a shared ride


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demand responsive system and as such there are manyfactors that must be taken into consideration whenscheduling the rides such as trip length, trip time,individual passenger needs, appointment times, waittimes, load and unload times, location, seating capacityof the vehicle, drivers breaks /lunches, contractrequirements, weather, construction, ADA and otherfederal, state and local requirements, etc. The LCTBdoes do its best to combine trips while taking the aboveitems into consideration. It is a very delicate balancebetween maximizing efficiency and maintaining a highlevel of customer service.

Irene K. (viawrittencomment atpublic inputsession)

Comment: I suggest the following: 1. Ask Commissioners to fund thegap until the TDP can be produced- they only put $65K into countytransit- not enough. 2. Dont encourage riders to reserve rides andthen cancel, something Ive heard many times from schedulers as ahelpful suggestion. 3. Get someone to critique the computer programyou use- it may be the source of your inefficient use of vehicles. 4.Reach out to institutions (churches, businesses in the industrial parks,etc.) to collaborate with you in finding ways to transport residents-contrary to what you think, people dont know about the services anddont know how to negotiate the reservation system. Ive gone to batfor a rider, and was able to get that person a ride AFTER he wasrefused by the scheduler. Train schedulers and give them freedom totinker with the computer program. Request 1. Please provide the

public with names and contact information of Transit Board membersat next public hearing.

Thank you for your comment. It is important to notethat the Licking County Commissioners not onlyprovides $65,000 to the Licking County Transit Boards(LCTB) local fund, the Licking County Commissionerslease the Transit Center to the LCTB for $1.00, providesall the maintenance and upkeep and also provides manyin-kind contributions as being a part of the Countygovernment. The LCTB at no time encourages riders tocancel their services. The LCTBs scheduling and routingsystem is one of the leading ITS providers with over 600systems deployed globally. The LCTB does reach out toother organizations, businesses and agencies in LickingCounty and it is always willing to encourage use of the

public transit system. The schedulers do look at theschedule and have the capability to research the timesbeing requested by the caller. The Board memberscontact information is located on the Agenda.

Sally T. (viawrittencomment atpublic inputsession)

Comment: I think the L.C. Transit System will sink if it continues tooperate as it does now. It looks like you are running a chauffer system-one (sometimes 2) people for each bus ride. In the computer age,there has to be a plan made to coordinate the rides saving gasolinecost, wear & tear on the vehicles, etc- all this using the potential of

Thank you for your comment. There are many nuancesto a fixed route system, including additional costs. TheBoard and Licking County Transit (LCT) staff has beenworking with a consultant over the past year to researchpotential alternative services that will best fit the needs


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computer softwear to map it all out. A fixed bus route would take ahuge weight off the point to-point system in place now- they bothwould run concurrently. Question 1. Also what is the point of publicmeetings after the decision has already been made by the L.C. TransitBoard to change the schedule of hours? Comment: The fixed bus routewould not be as costly- people wouldnt have to call 24 hrs (or 48 hrs)ahead to schedule a ride- affordability & dependability would be mostprized qualities of this system.

of the community within the financial capacity of thetransit system. The LCTB does use a scheduling androuting system that is one of the leading ITS providerswith over 600 systems deployed globally. Thisscheduling and routing system must take intoconsideration when scheduling the rides i tems such astrip length, trip time, individual passenger needs,appointment times, wait times, load and unload times,location , seating capacity of the vehicle, driversbreaks/lunches, contract requirements, weather,construction, ADA and other federal, state and localrequirements, etc. It is a very delicate balance betweenmaximizing efficiency and maintaining a high level ofcustomer service. Answer 1: The decision was not madeby the Board prior to the public input meetings.However, the Board is not required to change its plansbased on the public participation process. The Boarddoes intend to give due consideration to all comments,both written and verbal, made by the public.

Joan N. (viawrittencomment atpublic inputsession)

Comment: People with disabilities need access to communities inorder to thrive, just like those of us who are able to driver ourselves.For this reason, Sunday worship services on TV or Radio cannotreplace a religious community for support or well-being. Althoughchurches can and do provide rides for many, most churches do nothave vans that can transport those who are confined to wheel chairs

or power chairs. You discriminate against those confined to wheelchairs when you cut back the hours since this prevents theseindividuals from attending worship services and participating in acommunity that may help make their lives worthwhile. Perhaps youcould operate more efficiently. Maybe it could be Sunday from 9 2.The information that you provided only deals with reduction in service.I would like to hear how much money you could save by coordinatingrides more efficiently. I have heard stories of several vans picking up afew folks from the same address in Columbus. If you could improve

Thank you for your comment. The Board is reluctantlyconsidering this cutback in an effort to preserve thecore rural mass transit service on weekdays and areduced schedule on Saturday. We certainly are tryingto avoid having to cut core service hours which wouldadversely affect many folks, and critical weekday trips

such as medical and getting people without a ride towork. The LCTB is a shared ride demand responsivesystem and as such there are many factors that must betaken into consideration when scheduling the rides suchas trip length, trip time, individual passenger needs,appointment times, wait times, load and unload times,location, seating capacity of the vehicle, driversbreaks/lunches, contract requirements, weather,construction, ADA and other federal, state and local


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your efficiency, people with disabilities would not be prevented frompracticing their religious beliefs. Perhaps you could reduce the numberof vans that are used on Sunday by coordinating rides moreeffectively. Finally, I wonder whether your hour reduction onweekdays will prevent people from working on late shifts.

requirements, etc. The LCTB does do its best to combinetrips and reduce the amount of vehicles on the roadwhile taking the above items into consideration. It is avery delicate balance between maximizing efficiencyand maintaining a high level of customer service.

Paul M. (viawrittencomment atpublic inputsession)

Comment: 1) Lets have Fixed-Route Fridays. This would pick upadditional riders. 2) Post schedules in public places >groceries andlibraries govt. bldgs. (Inform the public). 3) Use fewer vehicles onSundays. 4) Other funding- Industries, foundations, United Way? 5)Work with neighbor county transit systems. Muskingum, Fairfield,Knox, Franklin. This could be cost savings.

Thank you for your comment. 1) There are manynuances to a fixed route system, including additionalcosts and additional federal regulations. 2) The LickingCounty Transit Board (LCTB) advertises on KOOL 101.7,has a website, works with many local and stateorganizations, advertises at many local events, etc. butcertainly is open to your suggestion to post informationabout the system at your suggested areas. 3) The LCTBworks very hard to reduce the amount of vehicles on allwork days. In addition to limiting the vehicles forservice, during the course of each day the Dispatcherswill move trips off vehicles that have receivedcancellations in an effort to further reduce the amountof vehicles in service. 4) Aside from the federal, stateand local funding sources and contracts, the LCTB doesapply for funding from the Senior Citizens Levy and theUnited Way. 5) The LCTB does collaborate with ourregional partners. The LCTB has on occasion takenpassengers to points of transfer with transit systems inMuskingum, Knox, Delaware and Franklin.

Rev Karen C.(via email toChairmanTim Bubb)

Comment: Dear Commissioners, I am a pastor in Granville who joinswith my colleagues in asking you to reconsider your decision aboutSunday public transit for Licking County. As you may know from yourown experience, Church communities are an important safety net,source of caring relationships, and spiritual home for many, manypeople. Unfortunately, not all have independent means oftransportation. Many churches are unable to safely provide rides forparishioners, particularly those who are wheelchair-dependent. Ahandicap-accessible van is something few have the privilege of

Dear Ms. C...Thanks for taking the time to correspondand share your concerns. Frankly, our Transit Boardshares those concerns. We have struggled over the pastyear to make the numbers work - however the marginalservice hours, including those on Sunday, could verywell mean a six-figure deficit this year. Simply stated theTransit function has to at least break even and pay itsbills. Our Board is reluctantly considering this cutback inan effort to preserve the core rural mass transit service


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purchasing. I understand that you have the responsibility to beprudent trustees. I dearly hope, though, that you will reconsider thisdecision. Please help us help others by providing access to church forall. blessings on your work, Rev. Karen C.

on weekdays and a reduced schedule on Saturday. Wecertainly are trying to avoid having to cut core servicehours which would adversely affect many folks, andcritical weekday trips such as medical and gettingpeople without a ride to work. Over the last year wehave made cuts and are trying to operate as lean aspossible in this expensive environment. Items such aslabor, maintenance, vehicle cost and expensive fuelmake rural mass transit in this large County a challenge.And operating at a huge loss on some marginal servicehours may no longer make sense. Again, the goal here istrying to preserve our core weekday and Saturdaytransit program. The only other option to generateadditional operating funds, to essentially furthersubsidize this program, would be a Countywide transit

levy; and I don't think a new property tax proposalwould be well received. Maybe you will thinkdifferently. Again, thanks for the note. Regards...LickingCounty Commissioner Tim Bubb.

Julianna C.M. (viaverbalcomment atpublic inputsession)

Comment: My first comment is I was very distressed it was not clearwhich building this meeting was being held. And in fact when themeeting began there was very few people here and people had beencoming in and including one of the participants one of the resourcepeople who was the last most recent to arrive so I am concernedabout that. The second is that I am concerned I think the presentation

was very compelling that there was an economic reason to makeservice reductions there is no question about that in my mind and Ican see that it was not in some other peoples minds. But we want toknow what other alternatives have been considered. And I want tomake a suggestion the way that I am thinking about it when I see thebuses going around it is very clear that there is only one person therealmost all the time. I see a large vehicle that is very expensive tomaintain there is a driver that I know even without the no-show pieceof information which I didnt have until now I knew it was a very in-

Thank you for your comment and for bringing thesignage issue to our attention. The Licking CountyTransit Board (LCTB) apologizes for the confusion withthe signage; LCTB staff did make the necessary changesto correct this issue. The LCTB uses a scheduling androuting system that is one of the leading ITS providers

with over 600 systems deployed globally. Thisscheduling and routing system must take intoconsideration when scheduling the rides items such astrip length, trip time, individual passenger needs,appointment times, wait times, load and unload times,location, seating capacity of the vehicle, driversbreaks/lunches, contract requirements, weather,construction, ADA and other federal, state and localrequirements, etc. The LCTB has limited vans in its fleet


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efficient system and it seems to me that the Transit Board is lockedinto a situation with in appropriate resources for the task at hand andits neither a fixed route system which would require a large bus with alift for ADA reasons right, or a more nimble system which would be asmall van with a lift that would be less expensive to run except ofcourse for the driver so that is my major point is that I feel I would liketo have that addressed and communicated. That why if it is a $180,000that is shortfall that you want to save then why not spend that on avan which could transport people on Sundays one at a time ifnecessary. I have other questions but I also feel I understand why youwant to go to this mode and public hearings can be very frustratingbut also its I think we learn from each other buts its when you havepeople that is responsible and listening for information and askingquestions so I am disappointed in the current format but I appreciatethe encouraging faces that I am seeing as I try to give my statement.

Thank you.

because it must follow the Buy America federalregulation which has limited the opportunity topurchase accessible vans for the fleet. It is alsoimportant to note, there is no scheduling and routingsystem that is foolproof, but the LCT staff does its bestto combine trips while taking the above items intoconsideration. The Board and Licking County Transit(LCT) staff has been working with a consultant over thepast year to research potential alternative services thatwill best fit the needs of the community within thefinancial capacity of the transit system. The consultantshope to have the Transit Development Plan (TDP)completed by early 2015. The format of the publicparticipation process followed the LCTB s Major ServiceReduction Policy.

Anonymous(via verbalcomment atpublic inputsession)

Comment: I feel very defeated at this point right now anyway.Question 1: What I dont understand is I know that by scheduling onFriday, you have to schedule on Friday for the weekend ride, and theyhave a printed manifest that they can look at why unless you aretransporting wheelchairs if it is people like myself with some othertype of disability why arent they utilizing these vans? I think once ortwice in all the time I have been riding have they sent a van for me onSunday. Question 2: That, isnt that a fuel saving half of what a buscosts? Arent they looking at people and saying this one is a wheelchair

and these arent and trying to get people gather ed together?Comment: I was just at the County Commissioners meeting downthere and I am afraid that I got very emotional because what it feelslike to me because I am a part of that group is that the poor, workingpoor, handicapped, and the elderly are the people being terriblyvictimized here. Being very victimized. I understand money is alwaysyou know at the top of anything but it would seem to me that therecan be better ways to utilize you know. I think one of the things youneed to do is re-structure that computer system that directs the

Thank you for your comment. Answer 1: The LCTB haslimited vans in its fleet because it must follow the BuyAmerica federal regulation which has limited theopportunity to purchase accessible vans for the fleet.Answer 2: The buses get approximately 10 miles pergallon (mpg) and the vans get 18 miles per gallon (mpg).That is approximately a $0.19 per mile savings with theuse of the vans. However, again it is important to notethe Answer (1) above and the mobility needs of the

individual must also be considered. This was not an easydecision for the Board as it knows there may be someriders affected, however, to be good stewards of thepublic money the Board must do what it deemsnecessary to keep the transit system financial ly sound.


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drivers to where they are going. If what I understand the computerdoesnt really have a good sense of location or area. There is nothingelse I can say because as based on what I have heard on the radio andwhat have you it sounds as if it is a done deal. So the only thing I knowis the federal government says you know you have to listen to thecomments of the people so you know I still think there is a better way.I dont have all the answers you know but I thank you for listening.

Linda L. (viaverbalcomment atpublic inputsession)

Comment 1: I am probably gonna say some of the things that the lastperson was commenting is that I dont know if you ever talk with thedrivers sometimes it seems like there is more human oversight neededcause I have had drivers tell me that they have been sitting one thereis one gentleman that was telling me that he was sitting somewhere inColumbus and while he was there he saw two other vans pull up andthey were all picking people up and they were all heading to Newarkso obviously they were all scheduled to get picked up close together sothe computer must have picked up they werent heading to the samedirection but sure if one was North Newark and one was SouthNewark or something but it probably still would have been moreeconomical to have just one van pick them all up. Sometimes peoplehave specific pick up times but they are 15 minutes apart and thecomputer will say well it cant be done but a human would notice andsay we can ask this person if they will wait a little to save that much soI just I dont know if that can be done but a little human oversight onthe computer maybe. I was being brought home, I was trying to thinkwhat day it was maybe last Friday I think anyway they stopped by a

place where the developmentally disabled was getting out of theworkshop and there were 9 vans there and I bet most of those peoplearent couldnt they have picked up there was like 1 getting on this oneand 1 getting on this one I dont know it just seemed like with a littleoversight maybe you could put more on 1 you know. It just seems soun-economical when we are trying to save dollars so I really had towonder while I was sitting there 1, 2, 3, 4 good grief Im counting allth ese vans its like surely there is some of them that live a little closetogether that you could send the same van for so that is all I can think

Thank you for your comment. The proposed servicereduction was not an easy decision for the Board as itknows there may be some riders affected. The LCTBdoes use a scheduling and routing system that is one ofthe leading ITS providers with over 600 systemsdeployed globally. This scheduling and routing systemmust take into consideration when scheduling the ridesitems such as trip length, trip time, individual passengerneeds, appointment times, wait times, load and unloadtimes, location, seating capacity of the vehicle, driversbreaks/lunches, contract requirements, weather,construction, ADA and other federal, state and localrequirements, etc. The LCTB does do its best to combinetrips while taking the above items into consideration.The LCTB works very hard to reduce the amount ofvehicles on all work days. Essentially, there is severalhuman oversight tasks involved in producing each day sschedule. First the reservationists check the schedule to

assure the trip will fit, then the scheduler takes all thetrips entered and assigns the trips to the buses, afterthe manifests are printed the National ExpressOperations Manager will review each manifest prior tocalling the driver with his or her start time and lastly thedrivers often review their schedule prior to startingtheir day. In addition, during the course of each day theDispatchers will monitor and move trips off vehiclesthat have received cancellations in an effort to further


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of at the moment. I have a few other written things that I can mailback in in case I think of something later. Thank you.Comment 2: I just had a thought, as far as that human oversight thing,that I was trying to get to an eye doctor last December and I ended uphaving to make 3 different appointments cause I would call and makean appointment and I would call for the ride only to be told it wasntavailable that day so I would have to call and make anotherappointment and ended up taking I forget it was almost 2 weeks Ithink before and if there was a human I am pretty sure if they wouldhave looked they would have seen hey there is a van out there thatisnt full that could take this lady out here because she is going blind inher right eye thank goodness it was like 2200 or something vision wasalmost gone scarred the crap out of me and it took me all this time totry to get a ride and I just kept thinking if there was just somebodythat could look at that so I dont know what kind of human oversight

you could get but. I ran into someone at the hospital that said theyhad the same problem that they had to get in for testing took themlike 3 times. So the third time I actually ended up dialing 2 and beggingthem to get a hold of the I said if I have to wait for the call back thatday I need the ride is going to fill up before I get a call back becausesometimes it is more than 1 hour before they can call you back. So Idont know how to make that more efficient but it is definitely aproblem so I didnt know it turned out it was a part of my but Ididnt know that and they can sometimes give you to limit thepermanent damage and I was thinking I am waiting all this time that I

should be being treated and I had no way to get there. Yeah I dontknow as far as how they can make anything more cause I always saynow I figure I have to call at least a week ahead to make sure I get aride somewhere so I am not allowed to get sick unless I get really sickso but there are so many things I think that you would get moreridership if they could actually get a ride without having to schedule sofar ahead I mean you dont a lways know. When my niece was born itwasnt induced so I couldnt schedule a ride for when she was going togo into labor. Stuff like that you miss and I think a lot more people

reduce the amount of vehicles in service. It is a verydelicate balance between maximizing efficiency andmaintaining a high level of customer service. There aremany nuances to a fixed route system, includingadditional costs. The Board and Licking County Transit(LCT) staff has been working with a consultant over thepast year to research potential alternative services thatwill best fit the needs of the community within thefinancial capacity of the transit system. The consultantshope to have the Transit Development Plan (TDP)completed by early 2015.


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would go if they could actually if there was a way of I dont know ifthat is possible but it would be great if it was. I know when I used to beable to take Yellow Cab I may have to wait on them 2 or 3 hours but Iwas gonna go at least.Comment 3: I was just thinking if people were given an option wouldyou be willing would you rather pay more or rather there not beservice on this day I am pretty sure that a lot of people would paymore. I couldnt pay a lot more but if we were talking $5 or somethingthen I mean the church actually helps me with it now so maybe theywould be willing to do some and I would do some. Giving up churchentirely its an awful feeling. And I feel bad for me and I feel bad forothers I cant remember her name but there is a lady they would pickup sometimes that would be going to the church just down the roadfrom me she s, shes totally shes not able to verbalize or anythinganymore but shes very with it you can tell in her eyes but shes lost all

mobile thats probably the only time she gets out of that facility and tothink that thats gone you know i ts just so it makes you want to cry,sorry. At least I am still able to roll around outside or something butshe is not. Keep the thought wheels cranking if you can think ofanything.Comment 4: I was just wanting to add that if there was ever a fixedroute system I could certainly use it. Not only would I like to be able toshop out in Heath and the area it was going out but when I had theeye doctor appointment I couldnt get to and that is right on 21 st Icould have just went to wherever the bus stop was and hopped on the

bus and went out there. And now that I am actually on recording I amforgetting half of what I was saying, OK cause I volunteered to visit atthe Heath Nursing Care Center and for the Ombudsman program andthey are advocates for resident rights and if a resident was having aproblem with staff and needed somebody to go and get information,maybe talk to somebody, I couldnt volunteer to do that because I amnot able to get there whenever there is a problem so I would certainlyuse that service and I am sure lots of people would once they got usedto it being available that might be a lot more economical than calling


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and cancelling. You might get several riders that wants that way so Idont know if that is stuff that you have already ch ecked into. Thankyou.

Irene K. (viaverbalcomment atpublic inputsession)

Comment: My question is for the County Commissioners $65,000 isnot that much money to put into something that benefits every singleperson in Licking County and I suggest the County Commissioners tolook very seriously at funding the gap until such time as the TransitDevelopment Plan is proposed at least because when this wholecombination took place I think everybody thought that within 2 yearswe would have a Transit Develop ment Plan and since we dont I thinktheir only solution would be to fund the remaining 6 months of it until2015 when the plan is supposed to be produced and proposed. Thankyou, Irene K.

Thank you for your comment. Again, it is important tonote that the Licking County Commissioners not onlyprovides $65,000 to the Licking County Transit Boards(LCTB) local fund, the Licking County Commissionerslease the Transit Center to the LCTB for $1.00, providesall the maintenance and upkeep and also provides manyin-kind contributions as being a part of the Countygovernment.

Janet G. (viaverbalcomment atpublic inputsession)

Comment: By taking off the Sunday ridership where people who are inwheelchairs cant be transported in a regular vehicle there is no waythat the private individual can replace this transportation service thatthe County provides with our public money that we pay taxes for so itis very important that we try to figure out a solution. If you know youhave a 100 people that are regularly using this service is there no waythat you can continue to serve them because they will not be able togo anywhere on Sunday, they wont be able to go to church thats onething. The other thing is I am hoping that we can figure out how to bemore pro-active as a community to help you generate more incomebecause we think there are people who would ride these vehicles ifthey were going up and down Main Street or going up and down 21 st

Street or going to other places that we have all identified your studieshave identified as destinations that people need to get to. So that is away that we could think of a way that we could come up with this$319,000 because we believe that you know the system has assetsthat could be capitalized on and those buses are big part of that aswell as your own enthusiasm and dedication to making this thing work.So and I will also do a written comment. Thank you.

Thank you for your comment. This was not an easydecision for the Board as it knows there may be someriders affected, however, to be good stewards of thepublic money the Board must do what it deemsnecessary to keep the transit system financial ly sound.As identified by the studies, there are many nuances toa fixed route system, including additional costs.Increased ridership would have to be substantialenough to cover the costs of services during marginalservice hours. The Board and Licking County Transit(LCT) staff has been working with a consultant over thepast year to research potential alternative services that

will best fit the needs of the community within thefinancial capacity of the transit system. The consultantshope to have the Transit Development Plan (TDP)completed by early 2015.

Joan N. (viaverbal

Comment: Ive had now 2 friends, 1 was a former colleague atDennison who could only get to church with a van and he was a

Thank you for your comment. The Board shares yourconcerns and has struggled over the past year to make


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comment atpublic inputsession)

Minister that was important to him. Now to say, people that say oh lethim listen to it on TV that is not the same. I mean a church is worshipbut it is a community its support and I am not but seems as if we arenow becoming anti-Christian in Licking County not to allow people togo to church because we can provide dr ives were a small church butwe can take people with dementia we can pick up people who cantwalk very well but we cannot pick up somebody like Linda we couldnot pick up somebody like my former colleague Jim M the only waycause they are confined to wheelchairs and particular when they arelarge like hers and Jim was a big man the only way they can get thereis by a van. And so it seems to me that is a service unless that you are just saying that people with disabilities can stay at home and watchsoap operas all day they need a quality of life too. Quality of life meanscommunity not just in particularly those who cannot work you knowsurely cannot work but they need community and my concern is just

what is happening there. There will be no option then for my friendwho is now deceased, Jim M. and these are 2 people in the same smallchurch in Granville. Jim had no financial resources, she doesnt, butagain we can provide for many people but we cant provide rides forpeople in wheelchairs and people tried to provide them for Jim andLindas wheelchair is much too large. So it strikes me that the TransitAuthority is making is becoming is discriminating against people whoare religious that is how it appears because those are the people youare preventing from attending their worship services. And that is whatI wanted to say. The other thing I would want to say is we have to also

be careful about people who are working that they can get home aftertheir 2 nd shift cause that is important too.

the numbers work - however the marginal servicehours, including those on Sunday, could very well meana large deficit this year. Our Board is reluctantlyconsidering this cutback in an effort to preserve thecore rural mass transit service on weekdays andSaturdays. The Board certainly is trying to avoid havingto cut core service hours which would adversely affectmany individuals, and critical weekday trips such asmedical and getting people without a ride to work. Overthe last year we have made cuts and are trying tooperate as lean as possible in this expensiveenvironment. Items such as labor, maintenance, vehiclecost and expensive fuel make rural mass transit in thislarge County a challenge. Unfortunately, operating at ahuge loss on some marginal service hours may no

longer make sense. Again, the goal is trying to preservethe core weekday and Saturday transit program.

Rachel P.(via verbalcomment atpublic inputsession)

Comment: I will be 85 years old this fall, I did not realize until 7months ago that we had this service that goes throughout the County.I live about 11 miles out of Newark and it is a far trip to go and the costfor each ride is almost unbelievable. I will be making a donation I mayeven consider a legacy gift when I am putting my affairs in orderbecause I think this service is so important. And more important abouttalking about the service, the people there, the drivers have all been

Thank you for your comment. The Board couldn t agreemore and will continue to work hard to keep the transitservices available to our community. Again, thank youfor your kind words.


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and I have had many I have not had a Transit driver that was notcourteous, that was not polite, who did not have an umbrella in therain and I have observed the courteous which they treat all thepassengers and I certainly was surprised. I did not expect the goodservice that you have. Most of the time you are on-time a few timesthere have been traffic problems and you just have to understand thatis life. I want to commend everyone in the organization for all theirhard work and this is one very happy customer. We need to work hardto keep this available for other people who have no access to driving.Im legally blind, I have hearing problems, Ive had a back operation,my knees replaced and I want to still get out and help other peopleand you cant do it without wheels and these are my wheels today. SoI thank you much for letting me speak my mind.

Jeff R. (viaverbal

comment atpublic inputmeeting)

Comment: I would like to see you keep the same service if possiblecause I would like to be out a little later than 8 oclock sometimes like

when they go down on the Square for the Mayors concert and thingslike that so if they stay with 8 oclock I wouldnt be able to go to that.Question 1: Whats that company they say that they call money tripsomething they always have on that recording if you need like a ridehome? Comment: I would like to see you get money from somewhereelse.

Thank you for your comment. The Board has proposedthe service hour reductions to meet its fiscal obligations

and still maintain core service hours for the maximumnumber of riders. Answer 1: The Mid-Ohio RegionalPlanning Commission (MORPC) offers the guaranteedride home program to transit riders that have pre-registered. You can call #1-888.742-RIDE for moreinformation. MORPC also offers potential car or vanpooling options. The Licking County Transit Board (LCTB)receives funding from the Federal TransitAdministration (FTA), Ohio Department ofTransportation (ODOT), the Licking County

Commissioners, contract services, farebox, SeniorCitizens Levy and United Way.Ann F. (viaemail toChairmanTim Bubb)

Comment: Tim I do not use the transit system thank God, I stilldrive. But I do have friends who do use the system for Sunday services.Question 1: In your article you say there are other options for theriders to get transportation to Sunday services what are theseoptions? If they cost more than the transit system, many cannotafford it. I would rather see our tax money go to help those in needthan for other programs. Thank you for your and the other

Dear Ann...Thanks for taking the time to correspond andshare your concerns. Frankly, our Transit Board sharesthose concerns. We have struggled over the past yearto make the numbers work - however the marginalservice hours, including those on Sunday, could verywell mean a six-figure deficit this year. Simply stated theTransit function has to at least break even and pay its


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commissioners attention to this matter. I ask that you give those lessfortunate a lot of thought before making your decision. Ann F.

bills. Our Board is reluctantly considering this cutback inan effort to preserve the core rural mass transit serviceon weekdays and a reduced schedule on Saturday. Wecertainly are trying to avoid having to cut core servicehours which would adversely affect many folks, andcritical weekday trips such as medical and gettingpeople without a ride to work. Over the last year wehave made cuts and are trying to operate as lean aspossible in this expensive environment. Items such aslabor, maintenance, vehicle cost and expensive fuelmake rural mass transit in this large County a challenge.And operating at a huge loss on some margin servicehours may no longer make sense. Again, the goal hereis trying to preserve our core weekday and Saturdaytransit program. The only other option to generate

additional operating funds, to essentially furthersubsidize this program, would be a Countywide transitlevy; and I don't think a new property tax proposalwould be well received. Maybe you will thinkdifferently. Again, thanks for the note. Regards...LickingCounty Commissioner Tim Bubb. Answer: The Boardrealizes that other public transit options may notcurrently exist, though it is possible the local cabcompany might again add a para transit vehicle to theirfleet . Answer: The only other option might be a

combined church based transit option, and maybe thatis something the Board could discuss at some point.Jack S. (viaemail toChairmanTim Bubb)

Comments: Mr. Bubb, I hope you will reconsider the decision toeliminate Sunday transit service. This will prevent many people,including two people in my own congregation, from attending service.Based on your comments in the Advocate it would seem that youbelieve this only affects those who use public transit. On the contrary,it affects us all. If the goal is create and foster a community, then weshould want all people--no matter their income or ability--to

Dear Mr. S...Thanks for taking the time to correspondand share your concerns. Frankly, our Transit Boardshares those concerns. We have struggled over the pastyear to make the numbers work - however the marginalservice hours, including those on Sunday, could verywell mean a six-figure deficit this year. Simply stated theTransit function has to at least break even and pay its


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participate. Sincerely, Jack S. bills. Our Board is reluctantly considering this cutback inan effort to preserve the core rural mass transit serviceon weekdays and a reduced schedule on Saturday. Wecertainly are trying to avoid having to cut core servicehours which would adversely affect many folks, andcritical weekday trips such as medical and gettingpeople without a ride to work. Over the last year wehave made cuts and are trying to operate as lean aspossible in this expensive environment. Items such aslabor, maintenance, vehicle cost and expensive fuelmake rural mass transit in this large County a challenge.And operating at a huge loss on some margin servicehours may no longer make sense. Again, the goal hereis trying to preserve our core weekday and Saturdaytransit program. The only other option to generate

additional operating funds, to essentially furthersubsidize this program, would be a Countywide transitlevy; and I don't think a new property tax proposalwould be well received. Maybe you will thinkdifferently. Again, thanks for the note. Regards...LickingCounty Commissioner Tim Bubb.

Anonymous(via writtencomment atpublic input

session)

Comment: As a non-driver, the service provided by the L.C.T. is aservice I am extremely grateful for. It is my only option for getting toand from work, as the high cost of a taxi is prohibitive. ($30 round trip)My job does require me to work an occasional Sunday and at least 1 or

2 nights a week. This means I will not get off work until between9:10pm-9:20pm. Having to restrict the hours I am able to work mayresult in loss of total hours or even put my job in jeopardy. I have beenvery thankful for the current route schedule L.C.T. provides, and I amvery concerned about the effect that a reduction of those hours ofservice may have on my employment status as well as the effect it willhave on others in the same situation as I am. Thank you for theopportunity to share my opinion.

Thank you for your comment. The Board shares yourconcerns and appreciates your patronage.Unfortunately, the Licking County Transit Board (LCTB)has struggled over the past year to make the numbers

work. The marginal service hours in the evenings andthose on Sunday could very well mean a large deficitthis year. The Board is reluctantly considering thiscutback in an effort to preserve the core rural masstransit service on weekdays and Saturdays. The Boardcertainly is trying to avoid having to cut core servicehours which would adversely affect many individuals,and critical weekday trips such as medical and gettingpeople without a ride to work. Over the last year we


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have made cuts and are trying to operate as lean aspossible in this expensive environment. Items such aslabor, maintenance, vehicle cost and expensive fuelmake rural mass transit in this large County a challenge.Unfortunately, operating at a huge loss on somemarginal service hours may no longer make sense.Again, the goal is trying to preserve the core weekdayand Saturday transit program.

Anonymous(via writtencomment atpublic inputsession)

Question 1: Why not contract with Yellow Cab to pay the excess overthe cost of a LCT bus ride for those 57 people on Sun and the 12 or soin the evening.

Thank you for your comment. The Yellow Cab service isavailable to those who choose to use that service.

Joseph D K.(via written

comment atpublic inputsession)

Comment: YOUR RATIONALE BOARDS SEEM TO SHOW THAT SUNDAYIS YOUR BIGGEST RIDER DAY, AT 57 RIDERS VS. 12 ON ALL THE

OTHERS. SEEMS YOU NEED TO ACTIVELY PROMOTE THE SERVICE LIKETHE BUSINESS IT IS. MOST FOLKS SEE THE WHITE BUSES BUT HAVE NOIDEA WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO RIDE NOR HOW TO RIDE THEMSELVES.GUIDING CONCEPT SHOULD BE HOW TO SERVICE THE MAXIMUM # OFRIDERS, BETTER & MORE EFFICIENTLY. SEEK THEM OUT & THEY WILLCOME.KEEP SUNDAY SERVICE SO FAMILIES CAN GET TOGETHER.

Thank you for your comment. To clarify, there are anaverage of 57 trips on Sunday s and the 12 trips are an

average of trips provided weekday s between the hoursof 8 pm and 11 pm. The Licking County Transit Board(LCTB) advertises on KOOL 101.7, has a website, workswith many local and state organizations, advertises atmany local events, etc. The Board certainly is trying toavoid having to cut core service hours which wouldadversely affect many individuals, and critical weekdaytrips such as medical and getting people without a rideto work. The goal remains to try and preserve the coreweekday and Saturday transit program.

Bill K. (viawrittencomment atpublic inputsession)

Comment: IM CONCERNED THAT THE NUMBERS PRESENTED TO USTONIGHT REFLECT ONLY COST REDUCTIONS, NOT LOST REVENUE(HOWEVER NEGLIGIBLE- IT ADDS UP & AFFECTS THE OVERALLPICTURE). IN ANY CASE, I ENCOURAGE THE AUTHORITIES TO REVIEWTHE OVERALL SITUATION & SEE WHAT MORE CREATIVE SOLUTIONSARE POSSIBLE. THE QUALITY OF A SOCIETY MAY BE JUDGED BY HOWWE TREAT OUR LEAST FORTUNATE & BY THAT MEASURE, LICKINGCOUNTY IS GETTING A LITTLE WORSE.

Thank you for your comment. The Licking County TransitBoard (LCTB) was required to present to the public therationale and outline of the proposed changes as part ofthe public participation process as identified in theLCTBs Major Service Reduction Policy. The proposedservice reduction was not an easy decision for the Boardas it knows there may be some riders affected. Theneed to reduce current service hours was howevercarefully examined. The ridership during the current


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service hours prior to LCTB assuming al l the transitservices for Licking County was a concern. Over the pastyear the ridership has been monitored as well as theexpense to operate the extensive service hours. TheBoard has determined that it can no longer operate at ahuge loss for the identified service hours. The goal is totry and preserve the core weekday and Saturday transitprogram.

Anna N. (viawrittencomment atpublic inputsession)

Comment: This is a tough one. Im very concerned about theproposed cuts in service. If ridership numbers are up, its a clea rindication of general need. Question 1: Is it fair to cut evenings in waysthat affect ones ability to work? Question 2: Is it fair to eliminate theonly option that wheelchair users have to get around on Sundayssince there is no private service that can carry them? I guess myfeeling is that we cant cut the only wheelchair transport in our area.

That does seem like discrimination. So, I guess we need to pressurelocal cab companies to serve wheelchair users. Its a sad state of affairsthat our gover nment agencies cant provide a bare minimum ofservices to those who have no other options. And by the way, no oneis asking for a free lunch. Im a little offended by some of the flipremarks Ive overheard here. Yeah, its hard. But watch yourself forhow you could sound unkind.

Thank you for your comment. The Board and its staffwould like to apologize if there were any remarks madethat were offensive as it is certainly is our continueddesire to work to serve the individuals of ourcommunity. Answer 1: The proposed service reductionwas not an easy decision for the Board as it knows theremay be some riders affected. Answer 2: The Board

certainly is trying to avoid having to cut core servicehours which would adversely affect many individuals,and critical weekday trips such as medical and gettingpeople without a ride to work. The goal remains to tryand preserve the core weekday and Saturday transitprogram.

Diane J. (viawrittencomment at

public inputsession)

Question 1: What is the dollar amount of Sunday Transit services thatis county money? Question 2: Will a compilation of the writtenquestions and answers be provided to the public? Question 3: If so,

when?

Thank you for your questions. Answer 1: It isapproximately $1,116. The County funds are distributedamongst the entire transit program. Answer 2: Yes.

Answer 3: They will be made available at the August 21,2014, Board meeting.Ken G. (viawrittencomment atpublic inputsession)

Comment: The proposed changes simply means that my Church,Christian Apostolic N 23 rd St, will lose several members on Sunday AMservice (10-11:30 AM) and Mid-week Weds. Service 7-8:30. My Churchstates they cannot provide trans. For these saints who all are inwheelchairs. Because of Ins. & liability issues & exp.

Thank you for your comment. The proposed servicereduction was not an easy decision for the Board as itknows there may be some riders affected. The need toreduce current service hours was however carefullyexamined. The ridership during the current servicehours prior to LCTB assuming all the transit services forLicking County was a concern. Over the past year the


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ridership has been monitored as well as the expense tooperate the extensive service hours. The Board hasdetermined that it can no longer operate at a huge lossfor the identified service hours. The goal is to try andpreserve the core weekday and Saturday transitprogram.

Anonymous(via writtencomment atpublic inputsession)

Comment: I feel that there is poor scheduling with County Transit.Buses that make Columbus runs should make only those runs- andkeep buses for City Wide with Granville, Utica, etc. inclusive. Muchmoney is wasted on operating big vehicles with only 1 rider.

Thank you for your comment. The Licking County TransitBoard (LCTB) uses a scheduling and routing system thatis one of the leading ITS providers with over 600systems deployed globally. This scheduling and routingsystem must take into consideration when schedulingthe rides items such as trip length, trip time, individualpassenger needs, appointment times, wait times, loadand unload times, location, seating capacity of thevehicle, drivers breaks/lunches, contract requirements,

weather, construction, ADA and other federal, state andlocal requirements, etc. The LCTB has limited vans in itsfleet because it must follow the Buy America federalregulation which has limited the opportunity topurchase accessible vans for the fleet. It is alsoimportant to note, there is no scheduling and routingsystem that is foolproof, but the LCT staff does its bestto combine trips while taking the above items intoconsideration.

Linda M. (via

writtencomment atpublic inputsession)

Comment: On an average week day: Question 1: How many buses

(excluding vans) are run Question 2: How many passengers are(average) covered by MRDD contract. Question 3: Are there any otherCounty/City subsidies? Question 4: What are the demographic on anaverage day. Age- Disabled Question 5: % of runs withinHeath/Newark city limits % of runs County.

Thank you for your questions. Answer 1: During the

average weekday, there are approximately 41 totalvehicles, of which there is an average of 5 vans used.Answer 2: There is an average of approximately 1,948passenger trips covered by the Licking County Board ofDevelopmental Disabilities (LCBDD) contract per month.Answer 3: No. Answer 4: The current program does nothave a report that identifies passengers based upontheir disability. There are approximately 459 elderlyindividuals during the average day. Answer 5: The LCTB


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is required to identify trips within its Urbanized Areas(UZA). There are approximately 73% (2,613 trips) withinthe Newark UZA, 27% (986 trips) in other Rural andColumbus UZAs . PLEASE NOTE: The Newark UZAconsists of areas in Newark, Heath, Buckeye Lake,Hebron, St. Louisville, Granville and Hanover.

Dr. CherylM. (viawrittenletter andcommentsat publicinputsession)

Letter: Licking County Transit Board Attention: Commissioner TimBubb 20 South Second Street Newark, Ohio 16 July 2014 Members ofthe Transit Board: I write to urge you to reconsider your plans to endSunday transit service. Commissioner Bubb was indirectly quoted intodays Newark Advocate saying that Sundays constitute marginaldays that inflate costs, making county transit ultimatelyunsustainable. While the public attending the transit meeting on July 8was led by staff through the computations that show the enormoussavings of the service cuts, several important pieces of information

were not presented. It is irresponsible for county leaders to expect thepublics trust for its decisions when the following questions remainunanswered: Question 1: 1) How much cutting is actually necessary? Cathy Sheets, General Manager, presented the need for fiscalresponsibility and the reality of expected cuts from the Federal TransitAuthority. At no time, however, were specific figures for the necessarycuts revealed, making it impossible for a thoughtful listener todistinguish the appropriateness of the proposal. How much is ourbudget? July 16, 2014 Post Meeting Comments: This was addressedsomewhat tonight. The average fiscal cost of a years worth of 9 hours

of Sunday transit is, according to the figures presented by the staff,$108,309. Thus, cutting Sunday service entirely saves the Board$108,309 per year, but creates incalculable difficulties for riders whosewheelchairs cannot be accommodated by other means oftransportation. Question 2: 2) What, specifically, are the otheroptions that were explored and subsequently dismissed by theBoard? Staff on July 8 th mentioned the vague notion that fareincreases were considered, an obviously unpopular option. Increasingfares in a one size fits all manner would sp read the burden, but such

Thank you for your comment. During the public inputsessions, the Licking County Transit Board (LCTB) wasrequired to present to the public the rationale andoutline of the proposed changes as part of the publicparticipation process as identified in the LCTB s MajorService Reduction Policy. It is nearly impossible for LCTBstaff to anticipate and have available various pieces ofinformation that may be requested. The entire publicparticipation process, inclusive of the written and verbal

comments, allows for such information to be requested.Answer 1 : Unfortunately there are no guarantees withfederal, state and local funding sources. Therefore, theLCTB presented a plan that will reduce expenditures byapproximately $320,000 by reducing services duringmarginal service hours. Over the last year the Board hasmade cuts in other areas and is trying to operate as leanas possible in the current economic status of transit.The goal is to try and preserve the core weekday andSaturday transit program. Answer 2 : Other alternatives

were discussed and considered by the Board. They areas follows: Fare Increase: A fare increase would not besubstantial enough to cover the costs of services duringmarginal service hours. In addition this would cause ahardship on the low income individuals using theservice. Cutting of other service times: We certainly aretrying to avoid having to cut core service hours whichwould adversely affect many riders taking the criticalweekday trips for medical and those individuals who are


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an increase is a tough-sell for a service that benefits low-income riderswho use it to get to work. Sunday was chosen to cut because of theinefficiency of serving so few riders and losses derived from a highpercentage of same-day cancellations. Question 3: Was the notion ofimproving efficiency for Sunday service even explored? Question 4: Was nonrefundable prepayment considered? On July 8, Ms. Sheetsand her colleagues were asked to countenance the Boards proposal,and they did the best they could to explain the poor information theyhad. Sadly, I expect the same at this evenings meeting. However, thepublics input was relegated to written or tape recorded comments.Question 5: Why was there no opportunity for dialogue with boardmembers? Without the possibility of thinking outside the box, LCTBmay well remain fiscally viable, but will nonetheless have failed toserve our community. I write on behalf of members of my communitylike Linda Lovell who was featured in today s Advocate article. Linda is

a weekly rider on Sundays. Linda has MS and her wheelchair cannotbe accommodated by regular vehicles. In addition to being someonewith a disability, however, Linda serves our community byvolunteering as an ombudsman at a local nursing home. Admirably,she graduated from COTC after she got MS. She was named a ParentSupport volunteer of the year at MHA. As of September 1, she, likeother people who rely on our limited county transit, will be cut offfrom communities of faith, groups that meet (for the most part) solelyon the very day of the week you plan to cut out entirely. I urge you tovote against the Sunday portion of the service reduction proposal atyour meeting tomorrow. Take the need for cuts to your constituentswho can generate better, more creative, solutions to the cutbacks youface. Please work with our community to help you identify andimplement solutions that will work for us all, including those withphysical and mental disabilities. Thank you. Sincerely, Cheryl M. Dr.Cheryl M. July 16, 2014 Post Meeting Comments: P.S. Post-Meeting-Thank you for the possibility of additional Q & A at tonights meeting. Iwould support fundraising and campaigning for a county-wide levy.Question 6: Why is a county sales tax out of the question? In Denver, a

without a ride to work. Tax Levy: May be an option togenerate additional operating funds to essentiallyfurther subsidize the transit system, it would be aCountywide transit levy; and it was determined that anew property tax proposal would not be well received.Joint Lease: Poses potential legal and insuranceconcerns. The Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission(MORPC): MORPC was contacted in an effort to assistwith potential car or van pooling options. This may ormay not meet the needs of all riders. PotentialAlternative Services: Time is the concern with thisalternative because of the current fiscal obligations ofthe LCTB. However, the Board and Licking CountyTransit (LCT) staff will continue to work with aconsultant to research potential alternative services

that will best fit the needs of the community within thefinancial capacity of the transit system. The estimatedtime of completion is early 2015. Answer 3 : Yes. TheLCTB works very hard to reduce the amount of vehicleson all days. In addition to limiting the vehicles forservice, during the course of each day the Dispatcherswill move trips off vehicles that have receivedcancellations in an effort to further reduce the amountof vehicles in service. Answer 4 : No. This option couldresult in potential ADA regulation violations as a publictransit provider cannot demand payment for no-shows,in essence a public transit provider cannot demand anindividual pay for services not provided. Answer 5 : Theformat of the public participation process followed theLCTBs Major Service Reduction Policy. Answer 6: It wasdetermined that a Countywide transit levy would not bewell received at this time. Answer 7: This question willbe presented to the LCTB s legal for opinion.


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1% arts/science district tax has raised money for arts & scienceorganizations since the 1990s. Question 7: Is this an Ohio Statute?

Jennifer H.(via emailcomment)

Comment: Cathy, thank you for sending me your email. Here are thecomments I tried to post on the website email. Jennifer Sent from myiPhone. I attended tonight's Public Hearing on the potential reductionin service hours. I want to say that I am more worried now than I wasbefore I attended. The funding problem is terrible and it doesn't seemlike it is going to get better. The decision to reduce the service hoursand make life a lot worse for people is WRONG. The necessary actionis to get the Public to realize the CRISIS and come together to fundpublic transportation. The service today is often substandard at best,I'm sorry to say and I want to fight hard to keep it from being reduced!It could be so much better and serve more people, but it needs to beadequately funded by the whole community coming together to makea difference in everyone's lives! Imagine if we lived in a community

that enabled everyone to get where they needed easily! Young adultsgetting to their first jobs, working class adults getting to work so theydon't have to own a car before they can financially afford it, elderlygetting to and from stores, church, relatives and friends houses,disabled adults getting to and from stores, church, relatives andfriends houses, veterans that served our country but lost the ability todrive, getting to where they needed! It would be a beautiful thing! Weneed to think outside of the box! We as a community should nottolerate anything less! Instead of cutting dollars from the currentbudget and watching the service crumble to its death, take time now

to bring it to everyone's attention and serve the community throughgood public transportation! Employers need reliable workers gettingto work! We have a wonderful college campus that there might bemore attending if more reliable transportation existed. Question 1: Dopeople going through rehabilitation in Licking County realize theycould still get out if they only knew about the wheelchair accessiblebuses? Question 2: Would more elderly nursing home residents getout if their families knew that this service was available? Doctors andnurses would recommend this if they knew about it and they could

Thank you for your comment. The proposed servicereduction was not an easy decision for the Board as itknows there may be some riders affected. Over the pastyear the ridership has been monitored as well as theexpense to operate the extensive service hours. TheBoard has determined that it can no longer operate at ahuge loss for the identified service hours. The goal is totry and preserve the core weekday and Saturday transitprogram and improve the quality of services provided.Answer 1: The Licking County Transit Board (LCTB)advertises on KOOL 101.7, has a website, works withmany local and state organizations, advertises at manylocal events, etc. Answer 2: Currently many care

facilities utilize the Licking County Transit (LCT) system.Answer 3: The LCTB has a contract with Licking CountyOhio Means Jobs and refers many of their clients to theLCT system.


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rely on it for their patients! Question 3: What if Job & Family Servicescould help more people with transportation needs? They might if theyhad more trust in the service and knew it was reliable for all of thecounty residents and all of their needs (work, shopping, medical).Don't take away Sundays and a few hours in the week!! It will kill thechance of making the Public support new changes that could make itbetter. A new financial summary needs to be put together and bepublished in the paper. Show how many people use the service everyday, how many dollars it costs every day. But also show how manydollars come in as revenue and where they come from. Show whatfunding is most at risk for future cuts so people understand thecurrent crisis and the future crisis NOW, not when it is too late!! Showhow much it costs per rider or per mile and how much the fares thatare collected cover. Show that the funding method has to changeNOW in order to keep and improve the service! Show Licking County

how much or how little its tax dollars go into supporting publictransportation. Maybe more Public support would come if thenumbers show who is being served well and how many more peoplecould be served better. Ask the Public for a SIGN that they arecommitted to helping! Ask the churches to work with the TransitBoard somehow. Maybe all agencies helping families in the countywith transportation costs could stop giving money to families directlyfor junky cars that bleed the family of more money and instead givemoney to the public transportation system to make it better for ALLFAMILIES! Poverty in Licking County is a problem, but the TransitBoard isn't only about serving citizens in poverty. The Transit Board isabout serving all people who need help with transportation, poor orelderly, permanently or temporarily disabled - anyone who findsthemselves in need of getting places when their own ability totransport themselves has been thwarted, anyone who has owned avehicle knows that problems can happen any time. I was so fortunateto use the service almost weekly for the past 4 years to accompany myelderly father to church. I want others to have the same opportunity.Please take time to find a new way. Our community needs this service!


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Jennifer H.

Anonymous(via writtencomment)

Comment: Scenario: A 19 yr-old female with a developmentaldisability and seizure disorder is attempting to obtain employment inan effort to become and independent, self-sufficient contributing

member of society. She applies at several places. The local grocerystore calls asking her to come in for an interview. At the interview thestore manager reviews her application, admiring her ambition. She haspresented herself well and seems enthusiastic. He decides to give hera chance. He offers her an entry level position telling her she will beginwith a schedule consisting of evening and weekend hours. Once shehas been there a few years her hours will transition to daytime hourswith occasional weekends. She explains that due to her seizuredisorder she is unable to obtain a drivers license. Her family worksrandom hours so she relies on transit to get to places. She goes on toexplain as a result of her reliance on transit she cannot work Sundays,after 6 pm Saturdays or a fter 8 pm weekdays. The manager looks ather apologetically. He says based on this complication he will not beable to offer her the job after all. He explains that many currentemployees are awaiting the time when their schedules transition tothe more desirable hours. If he were to offer her the job with thosehours right from the start it would create an atmosphere of badmorale and in addition make her a target of ill will from fellowemployees. He wishes her luck and encourages her to come back andsee him if her transportation issues are eliminated. He then mentionsshe might consider applying for social security disability. She thanks

him for his time. Then once out of his office she calls for her ridehome. She sits on the bench watching people come and go at theirwill. She tries to fight back tears as she wonders to herself, whats theuse. Please reconsider your plans to reduce the hours of service. Thedisabled already have numerous obstacles in their path, they do notneed another.

Thank you for your comment. The Board shares yourconcerns; the proposed service reduction was not aneasy decision to make. Unfortunately, the Licking

County Transit Board (LCTB) has struggled over the pastyear to make the numbers work. The marginal servicehours in the evenings and those on Sunday could verywell mean a large deficit this year. The Board isreluctantly considering this cutback in an effort topreserve the core rural mass transit service onweekdays and Saturdays. The Board certainly is trying toavoid having to cut core service hours which wouldadversely affect many individuals, and critical weekdaytrips such as medical and getting people without a rideto work. Over the last year we have made cuts and aretrying to operate as lean as possible in this expensiveenvironment. Items such as labor, maintenance, vehiclecost and expensive fuel make rural mass transit in thislarge County a challenge. Unfortunately, operating at ahuge loss on some marginal service hours may nolonger make sense. Again, the goal is trying to preservethe core weekday and Saturday transit program.

Anonymous(via writtencomment

Comment: I like most of the change the only thing that I think shouldbe added to the new change is that the Transit should at least run onSunday long enough to get people to and from church for the people

Thank you for your comment. The proposed servicereduction was not an easy decision for the Board tomake. The marginal service hours in the evenings and


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collected onbus)

that do not have a ride to and from church but besides that I like theLicking County Transits change.

those on Sunday could very well mean a large deficitthis year. The Board is reluctantly considering thiscutback in an effort to preserve the core rural masstransit service on weekdays and Saturdays. The Boardcertainly is trying to avoid having to cut core servicehours which would adversely affect many individuals,and critical weekday trips such as medical and gettingpeople without a ride to work. Over the last year wehave made cuts and are trying to operate as lean aspossible in this expensive environment. Items such aslabor, maintenance, vehicle cost and expensive fuelmake rural mass transit in this large County a challenge.Unfortunately, operating at a huge loss on somemarginal service hours may no longer make sense.Again, the goal is trying to preserve the core weekday

and Saturday transit program.Lorretta FW. (viawrittencommentcollected onbus)

Comment: We have always been more than happy from theschedulers drivers & dispatch the new schedule would be fine. 1-10 onsvc. 10+

Thank you for your comment and thank you for yourkind words. The Licking County Transit Board (LCTB)staff and National Express drivers will continue toprovide you with the best service possible.

Keith G. (viawrittencomment

collected onbus)

Comment: Fawn is great for Booking Apts. Its been a Blessing to me.Service hours are perfect for me. The Drivers are pleasant &consistent. Thank you for helping me. Dispatch is wonderful.

Thank you for your comment and thank you for yourkind words. The Licking County Transit Board (LCTB)staff and National Express drivers will continue to

provide you with the best service possible.

Peggy J. (viawrittencomment bymail)

Comment: Im devastated to learn of pending cuts to the transitservice. I hope you exhaust all efforts before making the decisionpermanent. I dont ever feel people have had full knowledge of thisservice (poor communications). Church is very important to thepeople. Their only choice of socialization and hope. While I dont needyour services at the moment, I have no idea what the future will be.Im proud of my city but feel all of us seniors are being thrown to the

Thank you for your comment. The proposed servicereduction was not an easy decision for the Board tomake. Unfortunately, the Licking County Transit Board(LCTB) has struggled over the past year to make thenumbers work. Marketing efforts have includedadvertisements on the radio station KOOL 101.7, on thewebsite, working with many local and state


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wolves. Everything is website and most cannot afford computers andall the fancy telephones. Please remember, we seniors are the onesthat have passed all the levies and now we are all to be forgotten.Sincerely, Peg J.

organizations, advertisements at many local events,advertising in the Licking County Senior Directory, etc.The marginal service hours in the evenings and those onSunday could very well mean a large deficit this year.The Board is reluctantly considering this cutback in aneffort to preserve the core rural mass transit service onweekdays and Saturdays. The Board certainly is trying toavoid having to cut core service hours which wouldadversely affect many individuals, and critical weekdaytrips such as medical and getting people without a rideto work. Unfortunately, the LCTB cannot continue tooperate at a huge loss on some of the more marginalservice hours. Again, the goal is trying to preserve thecore weekday and Saturday transit program.

Barbara B.

(via writtencommentcollected onbus)

Comment: Im fortunate that as of now, the change in hours would

not affect me. However, my working hours might change in the nearfuture, and I might be required to work evenings. I am single, livealone, and dont own a vehicle. If my hours change, and I have to worktill 9 pm, I will not have way home. I am also concerned about closingLCT on Sundays. If I fall and twist my ankle (fo r example), I would beforced to call an Ambulance. My friends and neighbors have jobs,families, and they cant take care of me. I am also a Medicaid patient,so taking LCT to an Urgent Care Center offers me a way to maximizemy benefits, and save tax money for the State. Riding in an Ambulanceis much more expensive. I am angry that these forms, and also thewritten notices in the buses, were not available until after the publicmeetings had taken place. Had I known about the meetings, I wouldhave attended one. These forms and the notices were not availableuntil 7/18/2014. They should have been available at least a weekBEFORE the first meeting. In conclusion, I believe the proposedchanges do not serve the public good, and they should not beadopted. Barbara B.

Thank you for your comment. The proposed service

reduction was not an easy decision for the Board tomake. Unfortunately, the Licking County Transit Board(LCTB) has struggled over the past year to make thenumbers work. The marginal service hours in theevenings and those on Sunday could very well mean alarge deficit this year. The Board is reluctantlyconsidering this cutback in an effort to preserve thecore rural mass transit service on weekdays andSaturdays. The Board certainly is trying to avoid havingto cut core service hours which would adversely affectmany individuals, and critical weekday trips such asmedical and getting people without a ride to work.Unfortunately, the LCTB cannot continue to operate at ahuge loss on some of the more marginal service hours.Again, the goal is trying to preserve the core weekdayand Saturday transit program. Regrettably the LCTB wasnot able to get the comment sheets on the buses untilJuly 18, 2014. However, the LCTB advertised the publicinput sessions on the radio station KOOL 101.7 and on


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its website starting the first week of July 2014 andadvertised in the Advocate on July 6, 2014.

Ray G. (viaemailcomment)

Comment: Comments are below: Please dont cancel Sundaytransportation since I am no longer able to drive and often times needtransportation to and from church. I would be willing to pay a higherrate in order to maintain this service. Thank you?

Thank you for your comment. The proposed servicereduction was not an easy decision for the Board tomake. Unfortunately, the Licking County Transit Board(LCTB) has struggled over the past year to make thenumbers work. The marginal service hours in theevenings and those on Sunday could very well mean alarge deficit this year. The Board is reluctantlyconsidering this cutback in an effort to preserve thecore rural mass transit service on weekdays andSaturdays. Unfortunately, a fare increase would not besubstantial enough to cover the costs of services duringmarginal service hours. In addition this would cause ahardship on the low income individuals using the

service.Ron S. (viaverbalcomment)

Comment: Concerned about Countyride- calling to voice my opinion. Iride Countyride for all my Dr. Apt. and for other needs. We dont needto be losing hours on Countyride. I hope we dont because the fact itmakes it bad if someones gotta go to the Hospital they can callCountyride and not the squad or Yellow Cab, but nothing againstYellow Cab so dont think there is. If someone can get to the Hospitalthey dont have to call the Ambulance whic h may cost more money tothe taxpayers. So Im voicing my opinion on this, I do ride Countyrideso let Tim Bubb know this and I appreciate it. Ill talk to you later. Bye.

Thank you for your comment. The proposed servicereduction was not an easy decision for the Board tomake. Unfortunately, the Licking County Transit Board(LCTB) has struggled over the past year to make thenumbers work. The marginal service hours in theevenings and those on Sunday could very well mean alarge deficit this year. The Board is reluctantlyconsidering this cutback in an effort to preserve thecore rural mass transit service on weekdays andSaturdays. The Board certainly is trying to avoid havingto cut core service hours which would adversely affectmany individuals, and critical weekday trips such asmedical and getting people without a ride to work.Unfortunately, the LCTB cannot continue to operate at ahuge loss on some of the more marginal service hours.Again, the goal is trying to preserve the core weekdayand Saturday transit program.

April R. (via Comment: Hi my name is A Riggleman. Id like you no t to cancel the Thank you for your comment. The proposed service


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verbalcomment)

appointments on Sunday. I did try to make an appointment to go outto eat on Sunday but I evidently dont know what I am doing to do this.I still would like to make an appointment to go out to eat this week togo eat somewhere but I am not sure how to do this. Please do not takeaway our Sundays, thats the only kind of transportation people like Ithat have no transportation have to get anyplace. Thank you so much.

reduction was not an easy decision for the Board tomake. Unfortunately, the Licking County Transit Board(LCTB) has struggled over the past year to make thenumbers work. The marginal service hours in theevenings and those on Sunday could very well mean alarge deficit this year. The Board is reluctantlyconsidering this cutback in an effort to preserve thecore ru

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