The Washoe County Regional Transportation Commission is holding public open houses this week to get feedback on what transit services are most important to the community. Reno Public Radio's Noah Glick reports.
The Washoe County transit system is running at a deficit of $1 million a year. RTC Spokesman Joe Harrington says that along with rider fares, sales tax revenues help pay for transit.
"Fortunately, as our area has really recovered, sales tax revenues keep coming in better and better than expected," he says. "So any potential cuts we might have to make look to be further and further out in the future."
Harrington says the agency is looking at other ways to keep public transit funded without cutting service, but it won't be easy.
"Such as flexing more money out of the roads program over to transit, or perhaps even going to the voters at some point in the future to look at perhaps raising revenues."
The RTC is looking for public comment in order to determine what transit services are provided in the community during the next five years.
Two open houses take place Thursday, Jan. 21 at the 4th Street RTC Station downtown: one from 9 to 11 a.m., and another from 4 to 6 p.m.
For more information on the RTC's transit plan, you can visit their website.
