Saturday buses to run again soon

Published 8:00 am Wednesday, July 19, 2000

“Islanders and tourists can again travel Whidbey by bus on Saturdays beginning Aug. 12.That’s the date Island Transit will resume Saturday service, said director Martha Rose.Saturday service was cut last December following statewide voter approval of Initiative 695, which eliminated the motor vehicle excise tax through which Island Transit derived 60 percent of its funding. But Island County voters restored the bulk of the funding in April by approving a new transit sales tax of three-tenths of 1 percent.Rose said the restored Saturday service is what people want, but it won’t be as extensive as it was before I-695. Even with the new sales tax, she noted, Island Transit is still operating at about 80 percent of its pre-Initiative 695 funding level.But transit users who have seen the new Saturday plans like them, according to Rose. It’s a nice spine route. People say, ‘That’s great, that’s what we want.’ Beginning Aug. 12 there will be six Saturday buses on the road. That compares to 11 before I-695. The cost for the entire day of service will be $1,800, about $3,000 less than before. As always, there is no fare.The first Saturday bus will begin in Oak Harbor at 7:15 a.m. and reach the Clinton ferry dock at 8:50 a.m., following stops in Coupeville, Keystone and Langley. Then service will continue on the hour until 5 p.m.Rose said the new schedule will be printed on flyers soon and given to transit users.Island Transit is also adjusting some weekday routes to compensate for its decreased funding, Rose said, although she doesn’t expect any routes to be eliminated. We’ve got to make some tweaks, she said. There will be no service lost, but a change of hours, maybe.Those proposed tweaks will be announced soon, and then a meeting held to discuss them with the public.”