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Bridge bus will be axed by April 1

The bridge bus between Sault, Ontario and Sault, Michigan will cease operating on or before April 1 of next year, says Phillip Becker (shown) general manager of the Joint International Bridge Authority (JIBA).
PhillipBecker

The bridge bus between Sault, Ontario and Sault, Michigan will cease operating on or before April 1 of next year, says Phillip Becker (shown) general manager of the Joint International Bridge Authority (JIBA).

"The bus operator has no choice but to discontinue bus service when funding runs out," Becker says.

On November 8, Becker says, JIBA's board ordered an end to the practice of subsidizing bus operations out of bridge toll revenues.

Rider fares provide only 10 percent of the US$120,000 cost of operating the bridge bus.

The bridge administration is currently subsidizing the operation for about US$40,000, also allows the bus to cross the bridge for free, at an additional estimated cost of US$43,000 a year.

Ridership has declined 50 percent in the past three years, JIBA points out.

Revenues exceeded expenditures last year by $2.3 million

Although 80 percent of bridge bus users are Canadians and one-half of riders during the school year are college students, both the City of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario and the BRIDGE educational initiative this year refused to contribute.

The City of Sault, Michigan owns the bus and provides storage and backup equipment estimated to be worth US$10,000 a year.

Becker says that without a contribution from the City or educational institutions, one-way fares would have to be $5 to break even.

A SooToday.com review of Michigan Department of Transportation financial statements for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2001 shows revenues at the International Bridge exceeded expenditures by $2.29 million.

Bridge traffic, of course, declined sharply after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, resulting in corresponding revenue drops.

Construction costs paid off last year

The 40-year bonds that financed construction of the bridge were paid off last year and ownership of the bridge is now shared by the Michigan Department of Transportation and the St. Mary's River Bridge Company, a Canadian corporation controlled by Transport Canada.

JIBA has six members, three appointed by the Governor of Michigan and three by the Canadian Transport Minister.

Earlier this year, JIBA announced a scheme to accept only U.S. currency on the bridge bus, but backed down after opposition was expressed on both sides of the border.

Instead, JIBA decided to retain the $1 fare in U.S. funds, but also accept $1.50 Canadian.


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David Helwig

About the Author: David Helwig

David Helwig's journalism career spans seven decades beginning in the 1960s. His work has been recognized with national and international awards.
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