Officials explore ways to keep free student bus program rolling.Byline: Jeff Wright Jeff Wright can refer to:
A popular free bus pass program for middle and high school students expires Sunday Sunday: see Sabbath; week. , but Lane Transit District A transit district or transit authority is a special-purpose district organized as either a corporation chartered by statute, or a government agency, created for the purpose of providing public transportation within a specific region. and state Department of Energy officials say they are continuing to explore ways to renew the program in September. Begun in 2005, the Student Transit Pass Program has allowed 27,000 students to ride any LTD LTD 1 Laron-type dwarfism 2 Leukotriene D 3 Long-term depression, see there 4. Long-term disability bus for free. LTD has estimated about 6,000 students jumped on a bus each school day - accounting for roughly half of the increase in ridership rid·er·ship n. The number of passengers who ride a public transport system. in recent years. The program, tied to the school year, doesn't operate in the summer. While unable to ride free, students can buy a summer pass for $19.95 that offers unlimited rides July through September. Last year, about 1,000 students purchased the summer passes. They can be bought at LTD sales outlets, including the downtown Eugene Station, and all area 7-Eleven stores. The school-year bus pass plan was possible because of an energy tax credit program that the state Energy Department extends to businesses that spend money on energy-saving projects. Because LTD doesn't pay taxes, it needed to find a "pass-through" partner that did - in its case, Pacific Continental Bank - to be eligible for the program. Originally, LTD had said the program would expire expire /ex·pire/ (ek-spi´er) 1. to exhale. 2. to die. ex·pire v. 1. To breathe one's last breath; die. 2. To exhale. permanently in July because a "research and development" grant awarded through the Energy Department had come to its end. But state energy officials said LTD could continue the program indefinitely in·def·i·nite adj. Not definite, especially: a. Unclear; vague. b. Lacking precise limits: an indefinite leave of absence. c. - so long as LTD kept reapplying and had an appropriate "pass-through" partner. LTD and energy department officials met earlier this month to explore ways to resurrect the program in September, said Lisa Van Winkle, project leader for LTD's bus pass program. Under state administrative rules, LTD probably can't continue to participate unless the Energy Department agrees to again classify clas·si·fy tr.v. clas·si·fied, clas·si·fy·ing, clas·si·fies 1. To arrange or organize according to class or category. 2. To designate (a document, for example) as confidential, secret, or top secret. the undertaking as a research and development project, Van Winkle said. The transit district has not identified a new pass-through partner - Pacific Continental is no longer interested - but is not worried about being able to find one, Van Winkle said. A pass-through partner ultimately enjoys a 9.5 percent reduction in its tax burden. The impressive jump in past ridership is a motivating factor in trying to hammer out an agreement, Van Winkle said. "We've had success we can point to, which the Energy Department likes, and that's allowed us to enter into further negotiations," she said. Diana Enright, Energy Department spokeswoman, said the agency is eager to receive LTD's renewed application within the next week or two. LTD's program is unique in Oregon, Enright noted, because it provides free bus passes to middle and high school students, as opposed to college students or workplace employees. |
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