Does Pierce Transit have a greater obligation to serve the maximum number of people possible or as many communities as possible? This is the debate raging throughout Pierce County as Pierce Transit determines how and where it will cut 35-percent of its services.

In February's special election Pierce County voters chose to reject Proposition 1, a measure that sought to increase sales tax to fund Pierce Transit services, potentially increasing it from 6 to 9 cents on every 10 dollars. If Proposition 1 had passed, Pierce Transit could have maintained its current service and staff. Now the agency is forced to cut 35-percent of its services.

Prior to Proposition 1 Pierce Transit had implemented two rounds of layoffs, reduced management by 22-perecent, delayed capital projects and preliminarily reduced bus service. Even after those measures, and with two increases in adult fares since 2009, Pierce Transit is still facing a reported shortfall of $51 million by the end of 2012.

Over the past couple weeks Pierce Transit has held four public hearings to give county residents the opportunity to share opinions about where the cuts should occur.

Many, like Andrew Austin, Field Director of Transportation Choices Coalition, have advocated for the cuts to occur in places where it is most expensive to provide transit services and the least amount of people use them.

"We want Pierce Transit to implement a plan that hurts the fewest number of riders possible," explains Austin. "Resources are limited and should be used to provide service to as many people as possible."

Austin says that in some cases it costs as much as $35 dollars per rider to provide transit services in areas were only a few people per day use it. Austin compares this to the $6.50 he says it costs per rider for Route 1, an inner city route, and one of Pierce Transit's most popular, carrying around 7,000 people daily.

Pierce County Councilmember and Transit Commission member Tim Farrell believes cuts to services should be equal throughout the county, pointing out taxpayers throughout the county, not just the urban areas, pay for Pierce Transit.

"For me it's about connectivity of communities. It's not necessarily all about efficiency," says Farrell.

"If we were to just go for the routes that were the most ‘viable,' we'd basically be saying to all the people living out in eastern Pierce County, ‘You're still paying the sixth tenths (sales tax) but we're not going to offer any services to you,'" explains Farrell.

"I can't support that because if you cut off fixed routes, meaning we (would) no longer offer paratransit service within three-quarters of a mile of those routes, we would literally be locking people that live within Pierce Transit boundaries into their homes," says Farrell.

Farrell says many residents of Eastern Pierce County depend on Pierce Transit to reach critical medical treatment and meet other needs.

"For everyone one person out there potentially not getting service, there are probably a hundred in urban areas that will no longer have access to services," counters Austin.

The Pierce Transit Board of Commissioners is currently considering a proposed plan calling for cuts throughout the county, including the continuation of services of rural areas, and highlighted by cuts to routes 1, 2, and 3 - mostly urban routes that carry around 60-percent of Pierce Transit's ridership. However, Pierce Transit is currently drafting a ridership based plan to be considered as well.

The last of Pierce Transit's public hearings will be held in Bonney Lake today (Thursday, April 28) from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Interim Justice Center.

A decision on the cuts will be made by the Pierce Transit Commission soon, with cuts scheduled to be implemented as soon as this October.