Local officials are finalizing negotiations with a consultant for the planned Multimodal Transit Center.
Lisa Maragnano, CARTA executive director, said officials received a revised cost proposal from TDM Smith that was "much better" cost-wise.
Steve Jett, CARTA chairman, said officials are anxious for work to get underway on the center that would be a transit hub including CARTA, taxis, Megabus, other bus lines, bikes and other transit types.
He said many cities have already put such a center in place.
Mr. Jett said the center will help CARTA to be better able to merge its routes and to make connections to other types of transit.
In another issue, Ms. Maragnano said CARTA plans to hire a new actuary to help shore up the employee pension plan.
She said ridership on fixed routes was up 2,416 last month.
The Mocs Express that serves UTC is still down 5,500, but "doing a little better." The new downtown route for UTC students has been cut back from 11 hours a day to eight hours a day.
Autumn Jewell, finance director, said revenue was up $8,000 at meters, $4,000 at the riverfront and $3,000 at Renaissance Park. Still, CARTA had a parking deficit of $24,000 due to the monthly payment to the city, which formerly handled parking. Those city payments are due to phase out.
November is the last $40,000 payment, then there will be $20,000 payments for a year before the payments go away.