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More riders using JC�s 'green, clean and cool' transit service

Published June 15th, 2008 | 0 Comments

JOHNSON CITY — Rising gas prices are affecting every individual and organization in the United States, but in the case of Johnson City Transit, the effects aren’t all negative.

Near constant increases in fuel costs usually means more business for public transportation services.

Even while the city of Johnson City is forced to fund more than $1 million more for fuel in the overall 2008-09 budget, Johnson City Transit is getting more riders, which helps to offset costs.

“Ridership has been steadily increasing since 2003-2004, for about a 26 percent increase,” Transit Director Eldonna Janutolo said. “We haven’t got all of the numbers in yet, but this year looks to be up about 4 or 5 percent over the previous year.”

While the city is likely to soon eliminate one underutilized route, the Orange Route or “Wal-Mart Express,” Janutolo said the city is actually looking to increase its service area rather than eliminate routes.

“Right now, we are looking at ways to expand service while avoiding duplication of service,” Janutolo said.

Currently, some routes overlap in areas such as North Roan Street, while other sections of the city — including the fast-growing Med Tech Corridor area — are not serviced by regular routes.

Of course, vehicle efficiency and rider fares also come into play when coping with increased fuel costs.

In 2001, the city converted a portion of its JCT fleet to smaller, more fuel-efficient buses, but ultimately found that as ridership continued to rise along with gas prices, more passenger space was needed.

Thus, the standard for the city has become — and will continue to be for the foreseeable future — 25-passenger, medium-duty buses that are still relatively fuel efficient, Janutolo said.

As for fares, a slight increase is likely on the horizon but is probably overdue in today’s economic climate, in any event.

“There has been no fare increase in Johnson City in at least 12 years,” Janutolo said. “We have the least expensive fares in the state.”

The base JCT fare is 60 cents, with discounts available for seniors, disabled individuals and students. In addition, several types of passes and services beyond the standard fixed routes are available.

Ultimately, much of what occurs with JCT is determined by federal regulations. A large portion of the JCT budget comes from annually recurring federal dollars, making it a different animal from virtually every other city department.

“The federal regulations determine how we make any changes, and those regulations change and get more complicated by the day,” Janutolo said. “We have to make sure we’re going to meet all of (the federal) criteria before I ever present anything to the City Commission.”

That state of affairs leads to varying levels of frustration on the local level.

“The best way to cope with fuel costs would be for transit operators to get more funding and let us put the service out there,” Janutolo said. “Transit systems across the country would be in good shape if the policymakers would recognize that fact.”

In Johnson City, JCT officials have come up with their own ways to get exposure for their product.

The annual Free Ride promotion, set this year for June 23-28, usually spurs a wave of ridership that lasts beyond one week.

“That’s one of the best ways for us to market our service,” Janutolo said. “Our residual ridership stays up for weeks, even months, afterward.

“People try it and find it they can use it for at least one trip a week. In most cases, that can save a person $10 to $15.”

With low fares and air-conditioned buses that run on biodiesel, Janutolo said the choice to utilize JCT should be a no-brainer during the hot, costly summer months.

“We’re green, clean and cool,” Janutolo said.

Transit operates Monday through Friday from 6:15 a.m. to 6:15 p.m. (last 30-minute route begins at 5:45 p.m.), and Saturday from 8:15 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. (last 30-minute route begins at 4:45 p.m.). The Silver Route operates from 7:15 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. Monday through Saturday (last 60-minute route begins at 4:15 p.m.). The Orange Route currently operates from 9:15 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. Monday through Friday.

On Saturdays, riders should call the JCT office by 4 p.m. for pickup during the last hour of that day’s bus service.

Buses do not operate on Sundays, New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Memorial Day, July Fourth, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and the day after Thanksgiving, and Christmas Day.

For route maps and stop locations and times, visit the JCT Web site at johnsoncitytransit.org.

Johnson City Transit began operations in 1979 as the first new municipal transit system in Tennessee following World War II.

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