The Federal stimulus bill may save the Lane Transit District from cutting several bus routes for the coming term, an LTD spokesman said.
The routes that could be saved include the 76 and Breeze, which serve campus, but the 79 route will still be cut regardless, said Andy Vobora, the LTD’s director of service planning, accessibility and marketing.
“The 14.5 percent service cut in the fall has been pretty much erased,” Vobora said.
The route cuts were brought on by the worsening economic climate. As more people lost jobs, the amount of money raised through the payroll tax that funds LTD falls. Meanwhile, fuel prices also went up, increasing the expense of operating the bus service.
In spite of the stimulus, Vobora said that the routes will likely still have to be cut in fall of 2010 unless the economic climate improves. The amount the ASUO will have to pay for existing LTD services for the 2010-11 school year is also likely to increase by 5.6 percent, a smaller increase than the one for the coming school year.
LTD will decide what to do with the money it receives through the stimulus Monday and announce its decision Tuesday, Vobora said.
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