CVTD resources and public hearing on fare policy
Dear Editor, Thank you for printing “How to use the CVTD” last Thursday. As a member of the Cache Valley Transit District Board of Trustees, I write to share a few resources for Utah State University students, faculty and staff, and to clarify the status of our fare policy.
The article reported that students wish for changes on our website. We encourage feedback and suggestions through the comment form available under the “Contact Us” tab of our website, or through messages to our Cache Valley Transit District Facebook page. Concerns or recommendations communicated through these avenues enable us to respond and review them for implementation.
Students also expressed some difficulty in planning routes to get around town. CVTD has partnered with Google to provide a Google Transit Trip Planner. This resource is available on the home page of our website www.cvtdbus.org. When users input their start and destination addresses, they are shown a map with corresponding bus route schedules. A how-to video demonstrating this Trip Planner has been posted on our Facebook page, and users are welcome to call 435-752-2877 for assistance.
Finally, I want to clarify the status of our zero-fare policy. The article references our 2012 Short Range Transit Plan, stating that “according to a 2012 report, the CVTD has no plans to enforce fares in the future.” Our Board hired Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates, Inc., to answer the question, “If Cache Valley Transit District (CVTD) were to introduce a fare, what would it cost from a capital and operating perspective and how much revenue would CVTD expect to gain?” As written on our website, Nelson\Nygaard reported its findings and recommended that “CVTD not change its fare policy at this time.” Over the past 18 months, some constituents have told our Board that it is now time to charge a fare and want users of public transportation to pay at the point of service. The Board has taken these suggestions seriously. Among our efforts to learn what Cache Valley residents’ desire for our fare policy, we will conduct a public hearing on Wednesday, October 28, 2015, at or shortly after 6:45 p.m. in Room 840 at Bridgerland Applied Technology College located at 1301 North 600 West, Logan, Utah 84321. Individuals will have three minutes each to voice their perspective on fare policy.
The Board Meeting will start at 5:45 p.m. and the public is encouraged to attend. The Board, prior to the public hearing, will be reviewing the results of a telephone survey of registered voters in the valley concerning various aspects of CVTD including the zero fare policy. I encourage your readers to watch for the upcoming press release announcing the details of the public hearing, to attend the hearing and to voice their opinion. We value student, faculty and staff patronage, and want their voices heard!
Holly Broome-Hyer
Member of the Cache Valley Transit Board of Trustees Staff at Utah State University