Free Bus Fares in Owensboro
By: Import User
Updated: May 28, 2008
With gas prices at four dollars a gallon, jumping on the bus might be looking a bit more appealing.
Youd expect even the costs of public transportation would be going up with the gas prices, though city leaders in Owensboro are thinking opposite.
The commute to work is getting expensive. But what if getting from "a" to "b" could be free? An Owensboro City Commissioner is asking the city to crunch the numbers to see if it can make bus rides completely free.
Commissioner Al Mattingly: "I think it would be great for the citizens of Owensboro, transit service would be free to get to jobs, school, college kids, you know, perhaps even help the environment."
It may sound good, but there is one main issue complicating the matter. Owensboro transportation offers assistance to those who cant get to a bus stop on their own. That rate is based bus rates, and if bus fares are free the city might not be able to afford the para transit service.
Although it may not happen right away riders are excited at the possibility of cheaper transportation.
Bus fares bring in around $90,000 annually, and Mattingly admits replacing that lost revenue will be a challenge for the city, but he hopes officials can find an answer -- and that free buses will become a major asset to the city.
