CARTA ridership is down and has been going down ever since CARTA decided that they no longer wanted to serve the East Ridge and Red Bank areas. There are many people who would love to see the bus service in those areas again. Supposedly, the reason those areas are no longer served is money, however I can't see how making a trip down Ringgold Rd and Dayton Blvd a few times a day would not be a win-win for both parties. There are many folks who need transportation in those areas and it could be accomplished by simply having a bus or two that would travel only on these main roads. I'm not talking about travelling all over the cities of East Ridge and Red Bank, but only on Ringgold Rd and Dayton Blvd. When you cut the areas you serve, of course the ridership will go down. There are many apartments in both Red Bank and East Ridge inhabited by elderly and people who cannot or do not drive. Please consider bringing back, even in a limited capacity, servive in East Ridge and Red Bank.
Angela Brabson
angelabrab@yahoo.com
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Ten or 15 years ago, Red Bank stopped subsidizing CARTA for its Red Bank routes. I don't recall the exact amount. It might have been $30,000.00 annually.
At that time, the Red Bank Carta buses were nearly empty most of the time. With the high fuel prices, there might be more CARTA patrons in Red Bank now. But those same fuel costs, coupled with other increased costs, have also increased the costs of the subsidy.
This would be easy information for the administration of Red Bank to access.
Steve Daugherty
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During the early eighties East Ridge also halted subsidizing CARTA. Their reasoning was as Red Bank, was not enough ridership to cover the cost.
Also, after Red Bank halted their payments, CARTA still ran down Dayton Boulevard but the drivers were not allowed to pick-up or unload passengers inside the the city limits of Red Bank.
Tom Perry