The Bay Area Transportation Authority (BATA) is ending its Traverse Express service.
TRAVERSE CITY -- The Bay Area Transportation Authority (BATA) is ending its Traverse Express service.
The service will end Monday and will save the organization about $200,000 a year. Officials with BATA say eliminating the Traverse Express will also eliminate duplicative routing. All but two Express stops, Kohls off U.S. 31 and Northwestern Michigan College's Aero Park campus, are covered by existing routes.
"This is good stewardship of our resources and causes very little disruption for our passengers," said Tom Menzel, BATA Executive Director.
Eliminating the Express service will also reduce traffic in Traverse City's central neighborhood.
A transit consultant study completed in Nov. 2011 evaluated existing routes and recommended new ones, providing a guide for BATA service improvement.
"This is a first step of many as we reconfigure a fixed route system that improves utilization of resources and better accommodates the daily travel needs of area residents," said Carrie Thompson, BATA Business Development Director.
Implementing the recommendations in BATA's comprhensive route plan is expected to take two to three years.
