Economic Bumps in the Road for CARTA Buses and Shuttles

It may cost you more to ride a bus in Chattanooga in the near future, and the free shuttle may not run as often.

The economic crunch and high fuel prices are forcing cutbacks.

For those who are not driving as much, now that gas is over 3.50 a gallon, getting around downtown may change.

CARTA is planning a fare increase and is asking for more money from local government.

TOM DUGAN, CARTA EXECUTIVE DIR. "We budgeted 800-thousand dollars for fuel..and spent about 1.2 million. Now for next year we're budgeting about 1.7 million ..So we're up 800-thousand dollars in fuel costs from one year to the next."

Uncertainty about where the economy is going this year is making it hard for city departments to come up with a realistic budget. CARTA is asking the city for 1.7 million more for a total of 4.2 million. The bus service wants a 118-thousand more from the county...totaling 218-thousand. But on the plus side, rider ship this year is up 10-to-20 percent.

TOM DUGAN "we're getting more and more people who are calling us and saying ....I don't like this I've got to find other ways so save some money..a lot of new riders coming on."

But even with that, it won't meet the expenses. So, attention is directed to the free electric shuttles running in the downtown area. Riders are not surprised by the possibility that CARTA may run them less frequently.

STEVE DONOHOE, RIDES THE SHUTTLE "Well, it doesn't make a lot of difference because we've got another shuttle right behind us right now...and it runs every 5 minutes ..So they could run it every 15 minutes."

Which is one of the possibilities. Shorter hours is another.

MICHAEL LEWIS, CLEVELAND "I don't know..we'll just have to wait longer...so we might have to tie the kids up somewhere to keep them from running off...laughter."

There is one more possible source of funding for the buses..

TOM DUGAN "We are looking at the possibility of finding a sponsor for part, all,...one bus or downtown shuttle, and if we could get 12 sponsors...putting in 30-thousand dollars...or whatever...we could possibly close the gap."

Carta is planning a 20% increase in bus fares: from 1.25 to 1.50.

Final changes and dollar figures, of course, will depend on how much more money, if any, the city and county governments will put in their budget.