Cost to Georgetown to replace bus service: up to $250,000
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Published: 8:24 p.m. Sunday, May 13, 2012
GEORGETOWN — The City of Georgetown now knows what it might cost to replace the federally subsidized bus service it is losing in October: as much as $250,000 per year.
The city, which has no bus service of its own, was paying $10,000 per year for the federally subsidized Capital Area Rural Transportation System, known as CARTS, to shuttle people around town.
But Georgetown lost its eligibility for the federal funds because its population grew and it was reclassified from a rural area to part of Austin’s large urbanized area, said Ed Polasek, transportation director for Georgetown. CARTS, which receives the federal money, did not have information on the amount allocated to Georgetown.
Polasek told the City Council last week that the city’s options include working out a contract with the current provider, working with Capital Metro or discontinuing service.
If the city decided not to provide any bus service when the CARTS service ends in October, it would save the $10,000 it paid annually, he said.
Another option would be for the city to contract with CARTS without the help of federal funds, which would probably cost the city $185,000 to $250,000, Polasek said.
“If we contracted with a private operation, it would probably be more expensive than CARTS,” he said.
Council Member Bill Sattler said at Tuesday’s workshop that the council needs more information about how many people use CARTS in Georgetown and why before making any decisions.
“Something needs to be done, but we just don’t know what it is and how it’s going to be funded yet,” Sattler said.
The city could also work to get federal money from Capital Metro to pay for 50 percent of the operating costs, which means the city would have to pay anywhere from $90,000 to $100,000 per year, Polasek said.
CARTS provides 2,000 trips per year to Georgetown residents, Polasek said. CARTS does not have regular fixed routes in Georgetown, so riders call to schedule their pickups. The fare for door-to-door service is $2 each way.
Georgetown isn’t alone as it figures out a future without CARTS. San Marcos and Kyle also lost their rural classification status this year, which affected service.
San Marcos plans to use urban transit funding to continue CARTS services during the 2013 fiscal year while developing a long-term public transportation plan, said Barry Goodman, a consultant working with San Marcos.
Kyle spokesman Jerry Hendrix said the city is committed to continuing at least the current level of door-to-door bus service.
Round Rock lost its rural classification in the 2000 census and had been contracting with CARTS. After CARTS decided last year not to renew its service with Round Rock, the city decided to contract with Star Shuttle and Charter at a cost of about $400,000 per year.
Contact Claire Osborn 
at 246-7400