A-Infos (en) US, Common Action anarchist INTERSECTIONS, Vol. 2, Issue 1 - Taking Back Public Transportation By Alexandra Snapp

After two fare hikes in less than one year's time, Kitsap County residents have been more 
than outraged. Kitsap Transit has cut routes, raised costs, and shortened service hours to 
a minimum. Or, as Kitsap Transit's Service Development Director, John Clausen stated "We 
have gone through the operation and trimmed out as much of the low-producing service we 
can find. Now were getting in to areas that are political or pretty well used." -- This is 
the "spine" route method Kitsap Transit has created to reduce cost. Meaning it will cut or 
limit routes to outer laying areas of Kitsap County, leaving people in rural areas with 
limited or no transportation. Residences in larger cities such as Bremerton, Silverdale, 
Port Orchard, Poulsbo, and Bainbridge Island are also dealing with unreliable 
transportation that seems to be no longer in the public's interest.

Fare costs have risen from $1.25 to $1.50, then increased again to a total of $2.00. 
Two-hour transfers will be eliminated this December. Thus, unless you have an ORCA card, 
cash payers will have to pay every time they board a bus. This makes it even harder and 
more costly for Kitsap residents to use public transportation.

Route cuts extend far beyond just Sunday service. They cut Route 14 from Bremerton to 
Silverdale, a route that many rely on to get to work. Route 21 Perry Avenue and Route 29 
Trenton Avenue were reduced to create a one hour loop. Saturday service has been trimmed 
down to an eight hour day. Access service has been reduced in Olalla and Burly to 2 trips 
per day. And five routes in Port Orchard were cut down to only 3 routes total.

Many people are wondering why they raised the cost and cut service at the same time. Where 
is the money going, and why are the people of Kitsap County suffering?

Frustration and resentment from the community is only going to grow in the coming months. 
When talking with people about this struggle we only see motivation and room to change 
Kitsap Transit's policies to best fit the community's needs.

To reach this goal we have created an informational pamphlet on recent route cuts and fare 
hikes and organized two community meetings. We put the word out everywhere from coffee 
shops to bus shelters, and we distributed pamphlets at transfer centers and ferry 
terminals. The meetings will give space for discussion on a community action plan and 
different types of strategies to use to demand our rights as riders.

Though this has been hard on the many residences of Kitsap County, it also brings an 
opportunity to unite people. Something as simple and necessary as personal mobility should 
not be limited or taken from anyone. It isn't a privilege, and should be provided for 
everyone when it is needed. Because of the current economic situation, people are relying 
more and more on Kitsap Transit to fulfill their duty as a transportation system. The 
people's needs are not being met and the community will make public transportation public 
again!

Resources:

Kitsap Transit http://www.kitsaptransit.org/

Kitsap Sun http://www.kitsapsun.org/
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