Transit director proposes service cuts to meet target; commissioners worry longer waits would cost jobs and access

Augusta transit leadership presented an interim proposal to reduce operating costs by approximately $884,820 under the FY2026 balancing plan. The package would remove one of the two vehicles on routes 5 (Washington Road), 6 (Gordon Highway) and 7 (Augusta Mall) and eliminate Saturday service citywide.

Director Daugherty said the package was an operational way to reach the budget target and indicated the department expects ridership declines if the changes are implemented. Several commissioners warned the service reductions would materially harm riders who rely on Saturday transit for work, medical appointments and grocery access; deputy director Oliver Page noted Route 5 is the busiest Saturday route because it serves the Washington Road Kroger and other essential destinations.

Staff explained that removing the second vehicle on a route would double headways on affected runs — from roughly 40 minutes now to about 80 minutes — and that eliminating Saturday service could result in layoffs for Saturday drivers. Commissioners probed alternatives: shifting vehicles from low‑ridership routes, deploying smaller vehicles, micro‑transit piloting, or keeping Saturday service while identifying other reductions. The mayor pro tem proposed maintaining Saturday service and accepting a smaller overall cut (~$593,000); that amended option did not achieve consensus and commissioners asked staff to model multiple scenarios (keep Saturday, keep both buses and find alternative savings, and micro‑transit options).

Next steps: transit staff will produce additional modeling on (1) the cost and ridership impacts of keeping Saturday service, (2) tradeoffs of transferring vehicles between routes, (3) micro‑transit or smaller-vehicle options with the new contractor, and (4) an updated savings package for the commission to consider.