Nov. 18 Daily News editorial

Notwithstanding the economic gloom, the past 18 months have been very good to our Community Urban Bus System (CUBS). Ridership is way up this fall, due in no small part to the Cowlitz Transit Authority’s decision this past June to offer free fares to all riders. Last spring, CUBS was on the receiving end of a $1.12 million federal grant. And, perhaps most encouraging for the bus system, the community late last year signaled its strong support for CUBS both in a public survey and at the polls.

We were somewhat surprised by the results of a July 2008 survey contracted by the Cowlitz-Wahkiakum Council of Governments to gauge the level of public support for a tax increase to expand bus service. Three of four respondents said they’d be willing to shoulder a sales tax increase of two-tenths of 1 percent. We were even more surprised when citizens went to the polls about four months later, with the economy in free fall, and approved that sales tax increase.

Voters understood that the bus service had been drawing down on its reserves for nearly a decade and, without the estimated $2 million in additional revenue, it might go under. Most Longview and Kelso voters, 55 percent, said yes to the higher sales tax. That’s an impressive show of support for a public transit system that is utilized on a regular basis by a relatively small number of people in the community. All the more impressive, given an economy that was shedding jobs as it spiraled downward.

The community clearly places a high value on its bus service. The June offer of free fares for all riders was, in part, CUBS's way of showing its appreciation. “The bottom line is to encourage ridership and give back to the community,” CUBS transit manager Kevin Merry said at the time.

Ridership did increase. It surged 33 percent, according to Daily News reporter Amy M.E. Fischer, bringing the monthly average for July, August and September to about 40,000 riders. Through the summer, Fischer reported, the 35-seat buses averaged 28 passengers an hour all day on every route.

The surge in ridership convinced the transit authority to extend the free fares through the end of this calendar year. Cowlitz County Commissioner Axel Swanson, who serves on the transit authority board, told Fischer that continuing the free fares will help the transit authority decide how to apply the extra revenue generated by the higher sales tax. He noted that fares account for only about 5 percent of the bus system’s total revenue. “It isn’t a significant amount,” Swanson said. “For the amount it is for the total budget versus the amount of people riding the bus and getting to where they need to be — that is a better value to me.”

To be sure, CUBS plays a important role in the community. Some members of the community rely on CUBS to get to work, doctor’s appointments, the grocery store or wherever. For others, taking the bus may represent a convenient alternative to driving. The value of CUBS is the contribution it makes to this community’s quality of life.