The Walker County Transit System’s fate still hangs in the balance as Sole County Commissioner Bebe Heiskell and her staff work to find a way to decrease the program’s cost to the county without cutting off service.
One major breakthrough in the conversation came when the county found out it is allowed to charge riders more for the federally subsidized service, Heiskell reported at her most recent commissioner’s meeting.
“We can do that if we find we need to do it,” she said. “And we may have to.”
Currently an estimated 200 daily riders are charged $2 for a one-way trip and $4 for a round-trip to different locations including the doctor and grocery stores, said Walker County Economic Development/Resource Coordinator Larry Brooks.
For the transit system to continue operating for the next 12 months the same way it has this year, the county would be required to pay approximately $328,000 out of its general fund, an amount Heiskell said she is uncomfortable paying.