According to a recent story in The Register-Guard, Lane Transit District is considering cutting service:

Lane Transit District will consider cutting the equivalent of four large routes next year as it deals with rising gas prices, a sputtering economy and other factors driving up costs, officials said Monday.

The magnitude of the cuts and the routes affected won’t be finalized until the end of the year. General Manager Mark Pangborn said the board has set a conservative course, and can re-evaluate as the fiscal picture becomes clear.

“This is probably the most reasonable worst-case scenario,” Pangborn said after a four-hour strategic planning session with the LTD board.

The district blames its budget crisis on rising fuel prices, weak payroll tax receipts in a poor economy and the growing cost of Ride Source, a bus service for people with disabilities that the federal government mandates but does not fund.

The board is considering trimming service by 15 percent next year, which would mean dropping more than 45,000 hours of operation annually. A typical large route runs for 12,000 service hours annually, spokesman Andy Vobora said.

Do you think LTD should live within its budget, even if that means cutting service at a time when ridership has been increasing? Or do you have ideas for how LTD might maintain or even expand its service?