City transportation commissioners plan to discuss options for turning around money-losing bus services for seniors and the disabled, contending it is their job to review how funds are being spent despite City Council direction to maintain the status quo.
David Kriske, a senior transportation planner for the city, said that in discussions about cuts to Got Wheels! — the bus service for the city’s youth that was recently cut back to summer months — staff also looked at possible changes to BurbankBus, including allowing seniors to ride the service for free and having the bus line run the entire day.
The cost for operating Got Wheels! and for seniors and disabled passengers is estimated at $2.2 million, far more than expected revenues of $1.7 million.
Options for bringing costs more in line with income could include service cuts and opening the buses up to advertisements to generate more revenue, officials said. The call to action comes even after the City Council earlier this year acquiesced to demands from about two dozen BurbankBus riders to maintain free “door-to-destination” services for disabled and senior passengers.
