Carson to Reno bus rides cut

Bus service between Carson City and Reno will be reduced because of revenue problems for the Washoe County commission running the service.

The Washoe County Regional Transportation Commission voted Friday to cut the number of daily RTC Intercity round trips from nine to five.

Trips arriving in Carson City at 8:41 a.m., 9:31 a.m., 2:35 p.m. and 7:04 p.m. will probably end around March, said commission representative Felicia Archer.

The commission hasn't made a final decision on whether it will cut more popular morning and night round trips used mostly by commuters, she said.

Sales tax revenue is down, a ballot question to raise more funds failed and the commission needs to cut about $500,000, she said.

"That money has to come from somewhere," she said.

The $27,500 that Carson City contributes to the service will be reduced when service is reduced.

Carson City Transportation Manager Patrick Pittenger said he's happy that the service wasn't completely cut as was initially proposed.

Adding more round trips in the future will be easier than restarting the service completely, he said.

The service has been popular recently, but it had to be cut or reduced because of the "disproportionate amount of resources per person" it requires, according to a commission staff report.

Cuts to the service that started in 2000 will save $103,000 a year, according to the report.

Buses stop at depots at the Nevada Department of Transportation on Little Lane and at the corner of North Carson Street and College Parkway.

Riders took about 3,900 trips between Carson City and Reno in November, up 15 percent from the same time a year before, according to the most recent commission

ridership report.