CAT to compensate bus riders with new passes

Wednesday, July 3, 2002 | 9:07 a.m.

Regular bus riders hit by a five-week drivers' strike can get free 30-day bus passes, the Regional Transportation Commission announced Tuesday.

The RTC will exchange Citizens Area Transit 30-day passes validated and used during the transit strike for new 30-day passes.

RTC officials say the program was developed to help a group significantly affected by the bus strike: the riders.

"Nobody came out a winner as a result of the strike," RTC board Chairman Bruce Woodbury said. "But it was our riders who were most significantly affected and they had absolutely no say in the matter.

"It was paramount to the RTC that we do something to try to compensate them for their lost time and possibly lost wages for for the money they spent on a pass for buses that weren't running at 100 percent."

The strike started May 20 and ended when drivers returned to work Monday. The RTC actually saved some money during the strike, despite a drop in fare revenue as ridership was cut in half, because operating costs went down, RTC General Manager Jacob Snow said.

"Because service was reduced and therefore operating costs were significantly less during the strike, the RTC's budget was not impacted the way we had anticipated," Snow said.

The bus pass exchange will begin Monday and will be in effect until July 30. Any rider with a 30-day fixed route pass validated between May 20 and last Sunday can exchange the pass for a new one at the Downtown Transportation Center during regular business hours.