Students and professors attend CVTD zero-fare policy hearing
By Shanie Howard
On Oct. 28 the Cache Valley Transit District held its first-ever public hearing to discuss the possibility of changing their zero-fare policy to charge a fare for the Logan community members riding city buses.
In the meeting over 45 Cache Valley community members spoke to the CVTD Board, most against the fare.
Alex L., claiming to be a representative for the Cache Valley Spanish community, expressed how much he loved paying taxes, especially when he knew it was going to help pay for the bus system.
Only three community members were in favor of the CVTD charging a fare.
“Shielding people in this community from economic decisions is not helpful to anyone,” said Brian Simpson, a community member in favor of charging a fare.
Simpson’s opinion, however, was one of the less popular ones in the room as representatives for the blind community, disabled community and mentally ill community, as well as Utah State University students, USU professors, Mountain Crest High School students, Logan High School students, the Spanish community and the elderly all spoke in favor of the zero-fare policy.
Several of these community members went as far as to beg the board to not change the policy so that family members and friends could continue traveling through Cache Valley. Other community members went on to point out how good the bus system is for the environment.
Almost a dozen members of USU’s Student Organization for Society and Natural Resources, or SOSNR, showed up to speak in favor of the zero-fare policy.
“The Cache Valley Bus System is a way to connect a lot of different demographics,” Diego Mendiola, a member of SOSNR said to the board.
USU students weren’t alone during the meeting, either, as professors showed up to the hearing to express their support for the zero-fare policy.
“The bus benefits the entire community by reducing pollution and congestion the road,” said Amy Odum, a professor in the department of psychology at USU.
After an hour, the board ended the hearing and announced that they would come to an official decision in their next meeting on Nov. 13, which would be open to the public, as well.
“I am highly impressed with the attendance, interest and comments tonight. We heard a broad spectrum of the community,” said Roger Jones, Vice Chairman of the CVTD Board, after the hearing.
Ron Natali echoed his fellow board member’s statement, saying, “It’s informative to hear from the public because we cannot make decisions like this in a vacuum.”
— shaniehoward214@gmail.com