GUEST COMMENTARY: NWI must unite in support of bus service

Teresa Torres, executive director of Everybody Counts, took The Times to task recently for the editorial supporting the Regional Bus Authority and the funding to make transit work in Northwest Indiana. Here are some facts:

The RBA has had three independent financial audits since 2008; there were no "material findings," that is, violations.

Fixed-route ridership is up more than 60 percent, and paratransit ridership is up more than 100 percent since August 2010. All rides are reported pursuant to the federal guidelines.

The Federal Transit Administration's Region Five office in Chicago recently performed a triennial review in which the RBA was involved. No deficiencies were found with the RBA operations, and triennial reviews within Region Five have an average of five deficiencies per review.

No conflicts of interest have ever occurred.

The RBA's Planning and Transit Director has more than 35 years experience in Transit Planning and Operations, and I have more than 25 years of municipal management experience.

The Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission staff assists the RBA in planning and grant administration activities. NIRPC's staff is highly trained in transit policy, procurement and grant administration.

Community involvement has and continues to occur with input sessions and hearings on changes. Before the route expansions were finalized in 2010, a survey (developed with Everybody Counts' input) was widely distributed and posted to our website for several months, and public hearings have been held when changes are being contemplated.

All committee meetings are scheduled and advertised according to policy and law.

Gary Public Transportation Corp. and East Chicago Transit have financial issues as well. They, too, have reduced and changed services in 2011, resulting in ridership losses of 26 and 15 percent, respectively, as reported to the federal government.

The RBA has participated with NIRPC in two required independent American with Disabilities Act audits that had corrective actions but no "material deficiencies," that is, violations by the RBA with the ADA.

The RBA is facing a shutdown of bus operations because the lack of local funds and the lack of a regional funding solution. The region needs to act and cooperate together to make effective changes and provide the transit service everyone deserves without boundaries and constraints. The future is in providing efficient and adequate transportation to the businesses and workers that expect services as part of living and residing in viable and healthy communities.

Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard recognized this necessity and has made regional public transportation a priority, meeting with state legislators immediately after his re-election to discuss solutions.

Northwest Indiana, the second largest region in the state, can unite and work with other regions and make the commitment to properly fund transportation services, or once again we can stand on the sidelines and watch others areas prepare for their futures and ultimately leave the region standing still.

Tim Brown is executive director of the Regional Bus Authority. The opinion expressed in this column is the writer's and not necessarily that of The Times.