PRIDE operators 'reaching goals'

PRIDE bus service is meeting its goals - averaging seven passengers per hour - after reducing service in the Carson City area, but isn't getting as many riders as expected to the new Wal-Mart stop.

"One of our struggles was trying to get to a reasonable level of productivity," said Roger Hanson, senior transportation planner for the Washoe County Regional Transportation Commission. "We had that targeted number of trying to average seven riders per hour and were able to achieve it by making service reductions."

The latest figures show ridership dropped 17 percent after weekend service was eliminated one year ago, but more riders are taking trips to and from Reno during the week. Overall, ridership has increased 9 percent during the weekday.

It costs operators $290,000 per year to provide about 4,200 rides between Reno and Carson City. That averages out to about $4.60 per passenger after figuring each passenger pays on average $2.25 for each trip.

Washoe and Carson City transportation districts pay most of the cost, with Douglas County chipping in a small percentage for its share of the new service to Wal-Mart.

Bus service operators eliminated weekend service in Carson City to save money. The bus now runs weekdays, with three round trips in the morning, three in the afternoon with one midday trip.

A new extension of the route was added, taking passengers to the new Wal-Mart Supercenter in Douglas County, but that hasn't attracted as many riders as operators were expecting, Hanson said. Initial counts show only 10 riders per day are using the extended service.

"I think it shows obvious room for improvement," Hanson said.

PRIDE operators might begin talking with Douglas County to see if more coordination with Douglas Area Rural Transit service can boost ridership to the north county PRIDE stop, Hanson said. Douglas County is paying some of the cost to provide the service.

Three new buses at a cost of about $350,000 each are on order for PRIDE and are expected to hit the streets in a year.

Contact Jill Lufrano at jlufrano@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1217.

On the Net:

For routes and schedules, go to www.rtcwashoe.com and click on PRIDE.