FREX service to end August 31
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
After carefully weighing the pros and cons regarding extending the FREX contract on a month to month basis through year-end 2012, Mayor Bach has elected to allow the contract to expire as of October 11, 2012, with service ending August 31, 2012.
“We respectfully considered City Council’s role in extending the IGA with a 6 to 3 vote, but also recognize it is the Mayor’s authority and responsibility to execute all operational contracts to ensure sound financial decisions on behalf of our City,” says Chief of Staff Laura Neumann.
The financial impact to extend FREX service through the end of 2012 would have been approximately $425,000 for four months. City staff did approach PPRTA for potential financial support following the vote to extend the IGA, however, further financial support was not an option.
According to 2010 demographics, approximately 4,000 Colorado Springs residents ride local transit service daily, while approximately 200 daily riders from Colorado Springs, Monument, and Denver use FREX. The average annual household income for FREX riders (in 2010) was $72,000. By contrast, two-thirds of fixed-route bus riders have annual household incomes less than $20,000 and 51 percent have annual household incomes less than $15,000.
“Although this was not an easy decision to make for any involved, it quickly became clear to us that our funds could be better used to support services closer to home that serve more of our citizens,” says Neumann.
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