Local governments slow to commit to Freedom Transit funding

The free service may stop or change significantly without enough financial assistance

By Sarah Fleischman

sfleischman@eveningsun.com @sefleischman on Twitter

Without enough financial support, Freedom Transit may permanently discontinue or significantly change its service.

Four municipalities and the Adams County commissioners were asked to provide funding to help keep Freedom Transit from reducing its service or ceasing it entirely, but none have made any commitments, said Richard Farr, executive director of the York Adams Transportation Authority.

The free system, which provided more than 149,000 trips in 2013 and grew 76 percent between 2012 and 2013, started in 2009 as a three-year demonstration project, according to a news release.

Now the demonstration period has ended, the authority no longer receives 100 percent of its funding from the federal government through a U.S. Department of Transportation grant, Farr said.

The annual operating cost of Freedom Transit is more than $900,000, he said.

The authority needs $65,264 in local funds to access more than $900,000 in state and federal funds, according to a news release.

Farr said the authority wrote letters to Cumberland Township, Straban Township, Gettysburg Borough and Mount Joy Township in May asking the municipalities to help supply the needed funds.

Originally posted here:
Local governments slow to commit to Freedom Transit funding