In 2007, the American Automobile Association calculated that a driver of a medium-size sedan spends about $5,250 a year to commute to a job 20 miles away ñ like the distance between Falcon and Colorado Springs.With gas prices on the rise, maybe itís time to think about mass transit again.As reported in the November 2005 issue of ìThe New Falcon Herald,î Mountain Metropolitan Transit had initiated bus service between Falcon and Colorado Springs, including two commuter express routes.That service and many other services were eliminated when the economy hit the skids in 2008.Now, an MMT steering committee is trying to determine how MMT can become a regional transit system and offer bus service in places like Falcon or a call and ride service in Calhan.According to www.FutureOfRegionalTransit.com, MMT is currently operated by Colorado Springs with two funding sources: the cityís general fund and the permanent one-tenth of the 1 percent Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority sales tax voters authorized in 2004.The current map of MMTís routes shows that it provides no service east of Colorado Springs, although residents in that area pay the PPRTA sales tax that helps fund MMT.In addition, as the designated recipient of Federal Transit Administration dollars, Colorado Springs receives the FTA dollars allocated for this area, said Scott Baker.Baker works for AECOM, the consulting company hired to advise MMT in its efforts to become a regional transit system.In December, 400 randomly selected citizens participated in a telephone town hall and answered questions about transit services, said Lisa Bachman, whose company was hired to do public relations work for the steering committee.The results of the survey show that 84 percent of participants think the Pikes Peak region needs an improved public transit system, and 85 percent think the areaís transit system needs a more stable source of funding, Bachman said.Twenty-six percent of participants said a sales tax should be used to fund transit. Thirteen percent said funding should come from property tax, 6 percent said a payroll tax and 55 percent said ìother.îìIt seems like almost everybody wants mass transit, but nobody knows how to pay for it,î said steering committee member John Nuwer.Colorado Spring Realtor and steering committee member Brian Wess said people in El Paso County have the idea that if a sales tax pays for something, other people pay it.ìAs weíve seen, sales tax revenue is extremely volatile,î Wess said. ìYou shouldnít tie critical things like police, fire and transportation to sales tax.îAlthough declining property values have caused property tax revenue to go down, house values will recover and return as a stable source of revenue for governments, he said.A first step in MMTís goal of providing regional transit service would be to return to the level of service it provided before its funding was cut in 2008, Baker said.According to www.FutureOfRegionalTransit.com, MMT now receives $2.6 million from the cityís general fund, down from $11.9 million in 2008. Those cuts forced MMT to shorten and cut routes; eliminate weekend, early morning and late night service; and raise fares. MMT now provides 120,000 hours of fixed-route bus service annually.One way to return to MMTís prior funding level and 220,000 annual hours of service would be to combine the $6.8 million currently generated by the PPRTA sales tax with a $2 vehicle registration fee and a two-mill tax on real estate, said Mark Scolfield, an AECOM consultant.The committee is also considering asking voters to change the way MMT is governed.Instead of being governed by the Colorado Springs City Council, MMT would become a division of the PPRTA.ìThe PPRTA has been tremendously successful,î Wess said. ìAlmost every project has come in under budget and on time, sometimes way ahead of time. The projects are award-winning, and theyíre something voters can actually see.îThe $2 vehicle registration fee, two-mill property tax and change of governance will require voter approval, Baker said.The committee plans to make a recommendation to the Colorado Springs City Council this fall and have a ballot measure ready for the 2012 November election.For committee member Susanne Whited, thatís a long time to wait.ìWe have really bad bus service right now,î Whited said. ìEvery time youíre on the bus, all you hear from everybody is how bad the service is. Youíve already completely disillusioned all these people for the last three years, and weíre going to lose them as voters by waiting two years.î
