Service reductions on several Louisville bus routes will take effect on the 21st of this month.The Transit Authority of River City—or TARC—first proposed the reductions in December as a way to cut one million dollars from the budget. After a series of public meetings, the TARC board decided to eliminate five routes and reduce service on many others.Spokesperson Nina Walfoort says the board will meet again later this month to review finances."We're hoping the economy comes back so that our occupational tax revenues will pick up again, and we're hoping to see our ridership go back up so that we have greater fair revenue," she says. "Now, those are three streams of revenue and if all of them remain flat or declined, yes, we will have to make more cuts."Walfoort says any more cuts to TARC services would take effect in June. For a list of routes changing this month, see below.Five routes will be eliminated and service will be reduced on 17 routes.The following routes, all of which have alternative service, will be eliminated:
- #46X – 26th/42nd G.E. Express
- #69X – New Albany Express
- #70X – Clarksville Express
- #96 – West Louisville Circulator
- #22 – 22nd St. (Saturday)
Little-used route segments on the following routes will also be discontinued:
- #1 Fourth Street Trolley
- #15 Market Street
- #31 Middletown
- #43 Poplar Level
- #49X Westport Express
- #61X Plainview Express
- 64X Southern Oldham County Express.
Finally, there will be service reductions on the following routes:
- #1 Fourth Street Trolley
- #2 Second Street
- #4 Fourth Street
- #6 Sixth Street
- #12 Twelfth Street
- #15 Market Street
- #19 Muhammad Ali
- #25 Oak Street
- #37X Iroquois Park Express
- #45x Okolona Express
- #49x Westport Express
- #53X Breckenridge Express
- #58 Bashford Manor
- #61x Plainview Express
- #63 Crums Lane
- #64X Southern Oldham County Express
- #67X Oldham I-71 Express
- #71 Jeffersonville Express
- #72 Clarksville-New Albany
- #73 Charlestown Road Express
- #78 Downtown Bluegrass Express.
Data from TARC and state Senator Denise Harper Angel
