Newport
Ramjit, her recently broken arm in a sling, said if no other provider steps in to continue the bus service of the Community Alliance of Transportation, she likely would lose her job at the River Valley Community College as the bus is her only means of travel.
“I couldn’t walk. It would take two hours,” she said.
Ramjit’s pending crisis and those of others who rely on public transportation is one that the New Hampshire Department of Transportation is diligently working to resolve, DOT Commissioner Victoria Sheehan said Thursday, after meeting with the county delegation of state representatives.
“Our primary concern is to find a new operator and transfer the existing service so we can have continuity for the riders,” Sheehan said in a phone interview. “The clock is ticking. We are doing everything we can to get a provider in place.”
The meeting with state representatives was called by state Rep. John Cloutier, D-Claremont, and was intended to update the legislators on the steps being taken by the DOT to keep the bus service going.
Cloutier said Thursday evening that negotiations are underway with an “undisclosed nonprofit” but he does not know if and when an agreement will be reached.
“We have to save the service,” Cloutier said.
The buses run in Claremont, Newport and Charlestown, while the volunteer driver program serves the entire county of 15 communities.
The Alliance, with end of the year deficits in the neighborhood of $100,000 annually the last few years, has been unable to raise enough money locally to match its federal funding of about $292,000.
Sheehan reiterated what Valerie Bailey, the Alliance’s interim executive director, said earlier this week about the organization’s finances.
As the Alliance shed other services, Bailey said, it considered trying to make the bus service a “standalone” operation but has been unable to do so because the administrative overhead costs were too high.
Bailey said they would need about $200,000 this year to avoid a deficit and rebuild their finances.
According to figures from the DOT, the Alliance raised $225,000 from state and local sources for a total income of $517,000. Newport ($5,000), Charlestown ($14,000) and Sullivan County ($25,000) are the only local governments to support the service for the current fiscal year, which began July 1. Advertising ($18,500), the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation ($15,000), the Department of Health and Human Services ($67,800) and Medicaid reimbursement ($80,000) made up the rest of the local match.
Sheehan said they want to ensure the next agency that the local funding will be available if they take on the service and more will be secured.
“How do we make sure communities served are paying their fair share,” said Sheehan.
Sullivan County Manager Jessie Levine attended Thursday’s meeting and said the county will continue with its commitment.
“We did it as a show of support for any agency that might be willing to take over the service,” Levine said in a phone interview.
The delegation took two votes on Thursday, Cloutier said.
The first was to send a letter to each community asking them to consider supporting the bus service or the volunteer driver program.
“I appreciate the communities that do support this but those that don’t, would they consider it in their budget next March,” Cloutier said.
The second vote was to meet with the new provider and develop a strategic plan to get support from area businesses, Cloutier said.
If a new provider is found, Sheehan said the Alliance would make available the equipment and the drivers they are now using.
Van Chesnut, the executive director of Advance Transit in Wilder, said AT has strong support from the “core Upper Valley communities” it serves along with Dartmouth College and Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center and that is key to their sustainability. AT rides are free while the Alliance charges a nominal amount.
Chesnut said federal funding is shrinking and while New Hampshire provides capital support to help match federal grants for buses and facilities, the state does not help with operating assistance, so the shortfall has to be picked up locally.
“Sufficient support from the local communities appears to be lacking,” Chesnut said in an email, offering his expertise to solve the problems. “The local communities need to support and champion the services. Who is willing to invest time and resources locally to support this needed service?”
Sheehan and Cloutier both said it is their understanding the Alliance would be willing to extend service a few weeks if it appears a new provider agrees to take over the service but may need time for the transition.
Patrick O’Grady can be reached at pogclmt@gmail.com.
