Calvert Scuttles A Shuttle Bus Line
Solomons Run Cut; Pr. Frederick Intact

By Christy Goodman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, January 8, 2009

In a narrow vote, the Calvert County Board of Commissioners decided this week to continue operating both Prince Frederick shuttle buses while ending one of the county's two runs to Solomons in the southern part of the county. The change will take effect Monday.

Because of a last-minute $140,000 cut in state funding, commissioners had considered eliminating one of the Prince Frederick runs as well as the service from Prince Frederick to Solomons. But several bus riders and other residents protested the cuts during the commissioners' meeting Tuesday.

"This will really put a crunch on people who need to get places," said Mike McClure, 45, of Prince Frederick, who was armed with petitions and letters from fellow bus riders.

Riders who are physically or mentally disabled, seniors and others rely on the service, said Joyce Freeland, president of the Calvert chapter of the NAACP.

"Since that is the only transportation they have, we need to make sure they get to where they need to go," she said.

The state approved $850,000 for the county's bus system in fiscal 2009 but cut 17 percent of the budget recently to help offset a $1.9 billion deficit.

"It is a pretty significant hit," said Maureen T. Hoffman, the county's community resources director.

The Prince Frederick Shuttle I route has 2,500 riders per month. The Shuttle II service, which runs along the same route and was slated to be terminated, has 1,000 passengers, said Sandy Wobbleton, the county's transportation services supervisor. The south county service that will be cut averages about 800 riders per month, she said.

Lusby resident Reggie McKoy, 59, said it was irresponsible for commissioners to cut the two lines without a report "to better understand who is being affected, how they are being affected and when they are being affected."

Commissioner Gerald W. Clark (R-Lusby) said the commissioners would be "making cuts that affect the most vulnerable of our citizens."

He proposed spending $50,000 of the commissioners' discretionary fund to keep the second Prince Frederick shuttle line running for the remainder of the fiscal year, citing safety problems and overcrowding that could result without a pickup every half-hour.

In the 3-2 decision, Chairman Wilson H. Parran (D-Huntingtown) and Commissioner Linda L. Kelley (D-At Large) voted against keeping the second Prince Frederick shuttle bus running, saying the county should dispatch a second bus during peak riding periods and make other changes.

Hoffman said she plans to monitor the bus service and report to commissioners in six weeks.

"This is a good opportunity to better serve clients and look at it from an economic standpoint," she said.