Transit Catastrophe After Toledo Funding Change Misses the Ballot

The Toledo Area Transportation Authority will cut weekend and holiday bus service after the New Year, reports David Patch.

In addition to cutting service, the governing board for the Toledo Area Transportation Authority "also started formal proceedings for fare and tax increases to boost the agency’s revenue," according to Patch.

TARTA made the choices to cover a $3 million-plus budget deficit. TARTA leaders had hoped to get a proposal to change the agency's funding mechanism from a property tax to a sales tax in the November election, but "the sales tax failed — for a third time in eight years — to clear a statutory process," according to Patch.

The article includes a lot more on the politics of transit and transit funding in Toledo, as well as the expected impact of the service and fare changes.