From yellow buses to city transit

With Petaluma public schools entering their second year without substantial bus service, the Petaluma City Transit System has stepped in to help fill the transportation void for many students.

"Petaluma Transit has been great at accommodating our schools," said Petaluma City Schools Superintendent Steve Bolman. "They are making routes that coincide with our school times and have provided special rates for student bus passes. It's really helped us maintain options for our students."

At the beginning of the 2012-2013 school year, Petaluma City Schools eliminated bus service within city limits and some rural bus routes as well in an effort to save money it lost when the state slashed school funding. As budgets shrunk, the familiar school bus service fell by the wayside, leaving school officials and parents to wonder how some children would be able to get to school.

"I'm not saying that it isn't more inconvenient for some people," said Bolman. "But with scarce resources it's hard to take money out of the classroom and put it into big, yellow buses."

Enter Petaluma City Transit, which last year began offering reduced price student bus passes for families that qualify for the state's low income school lunch program.

The city's bus service also offers a regularly priced monthly student bus pass. Transportation Manager Joseph Rye said that the two passes represent city transit's largest growing market right now.

"The two passes are very popular and have sold extremely well," said Rye. "It seems to have been successful so far and we're glad that it's been such a big help to the community, especially putting more low income riders on the bus."

And with Petaluma Transit's assistance, schools appear to have avoided the potential traffic jams that could have occurred with more parents being forced to drive their children to school.

Petaluma Police Traffic Sgt. Ken Savano said that while the start of school has brought out all the typical traffic problems - like double-parking, parking on corners, increased traffic and speeding - he said that the overall amount of traffic around schools does not appear to have significantly increased as school bus service shrank.

"We don't have traffic counts, but it seems to be the normal amount of traffic," said Savano.

Despite its success, Rye said that the Petaluma Transit Advisory Committee will be looking at the low income bus pass option, and may make changes to it next year to ensure the transit service remains profitable.

The small city bus line must sell enough passes each year to keep the prices low. Rye said it struggled to meet that quota this year. But he added that if sales continue to grow, not only will the program be self-sustaining, it could fuel enough income to reduce pass prices further.

"It's a balancing act and we just want to make sure we can continue to offer the service," he said.

(Contact Janelle Wetzstein at janelle.wetzstein@arguscourier.com)