PORT ANGELES — Clallam Transit wants to cause no fuss, but it could curtail trips on its magic bus.
That’s the paratransit service that operates like a virtual low-cost taxi for people with disabilities.
Transit commissioners at their meeting today will consider their options to cut back service and raise fares.
The meeting begins at 1:30 p.m. at the Sequim Transit Center, 190 W. Cedar St.
The questions are on the agenda primarily for discussion, says Terry Weed, Clallam Transit general manager.
However, commissioners finally could take action on the issue that surfaced four years ago.
The problem isn’t that paratransit isn’t popular enough.
New passengers as of June 30 totaled 246 — up about 61 percent over this time last year — and passenger boardings were about equal to June 2005.
The hint of future trouble lies in the statistic that revenue is off more than 4 percent, partly due to the growing popularity of passes but also caused by a drop in Medicaid reimbursement.
Surplus threatened
Extending both trends raises the threat that paratransit could erode Clallam Transit’s currently comfortable revenue surplus — even forcing cutbacks in the system’s regular routes.
The paratransit dilemma presents another paradox:
The Olympic Area Agency on Aging says many elders worry about transportation for people who no longer can drive, especially for trips to the doctor.
That’s not to say that all non-driving seniors by definition are disabled, but there’s enough overlap to underscore a need for paratransit.
