Scotts Bluff transit official proposes reduced hours and fewer demand‑response trips after funding shortfall

Kurt, a local transit representative and president of the state transit association, told a public hearing in Gering that the county’s transit agency must reduce services and cut staff hours to stretch shrinking federal and state reimbursements, with proposed changes scheduled to begin Jan. 5.

At the Jan. 16 hearing Kurt explained that recent guidance from the Nebraska Department of Transportation required many agencies to cut their submitted operating agreements by roughly 30 percent, leaving his agency about $300,000 short after earlier reductions. “We had to cut $640,000,” he said, describing cuts to a proposed operating budget that he said had been just over $2,000,000.

The proposal would shift fixed‑route hours from the current 6:30 a.m.–6:30 p.m. to 7:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m., reduce daily demand‑response vehicles from five–six to four, and hold roughly 125 scheduled demand‑response trips per day on a first‑come, first‑serve basis. Kurt said subscription or standing‑order trips (for riders who book recurring medical trips such as dialysis) would remain in the scheduling system. “If your folks call in and they set up that subscription trip, those are in our system,” he said.

Kurt described a series of cost‑saving measures already in place: reducing administrative staff hours to 37.5 per week, eliminating overtime, delaying nonessential purchases, negotiating vendor discounts, performing maintenance in‑house and using a 10,000‑gallon fueling tank the agency owns; he reported bulk fuel at about $2.24 per gallon. He told attendees the payroll runs roughly $100,000 per month and the agency employs 27 people.

Local educators and service providers told the board the cuts could ripple through the community. Rachel Gasseling, program director for Western Nebraska Community College’s (WNCC) adult education program, said many students rely on later buses to attend evening English and GED classes and warned, “I do anticipate, especially if this does take place, that our classes will see a decrease in attendance.” Dr. Emily Norman, dean of students at WNCC and a Tarrytown city council member, said nursing and certified nursing assistant students often work overnight shifts and depend on transit to get to jobs the community needs; she urged advocacy for restored funding.

Kurt said the agency submits expenses to NDOT, which passes through federal FTA funds, and that small rural systems do not deal directly with the Federal Transit Administration. He characterized Nebraska as among the harder‑hit states in the current funding round and said he is working with the state association and NDOT to press for better transparency and adjustments to reimbursement calculations.

No formal vote was taken at the hearing. Kurt asked members of the public to file written comments during a 10‑day comment period; those submissions, along with the hearing record, will be sent to the state as required under Title VI procedure. The board will consider the public input before adopting any final changes.

If state or federal funding is restored by July 1, Kurt said the agency would attempt to restore prior service levels; otherwise, he said further reductions may be necessary.