Bryan--
People in Bryan and College Station are upset with the long wait times on the Brazos Transit District system.
"I feel like we need some more buses to where if not run every 15 minutes -- every 30 minutes.," said Dianne Jones, who rides the bus every day.
An average trip in Bryan-College Station can take more than 90 minutes each way. Neither the state nor federal goverments have increased the districts funds since 2006 -- even to account for inflation -- preventing extra buses from being added.
TxDOT is partially responsible for funding the district along with the Federal Transportation Authority.
"We would like to see an increase in $18 million in operations, but that would have to come from general revenue, and I just don't think that's in the cards because general revenue in Austin is a very precious commodity -- it's like diamonds," said President/CEO of the Brazos Transit District John McBeth. "We would be able to put a more frequent service out there that would serve more people."
Two of the biggest complaints from riders are that there is no weekend service and there are not enough buses, but both of those need additional funding to become a reality.
"They do get very frustrated, and when you explain to them that 'we're sorry,' we only have a certain amount of money and we can only do a certain amount with what we do,' that just never really satisfies anybody," said McBeth.
The lack of funds also prevents the District from replacing old buses or building new passenger shelters.
"They're lacking on a lot of things that they need. They definitely need more shelters. Throughout the city I've only seen three," said Jeremy Freeman, who rides the bus almost every day. "I just think this is a central mode of transportation for a lot of people. Like she said she's going to work, or people going to a doctor's visit -- a lot of people depend on this about every day -- an every day thing for them."
The bright side for riders: the District could see more state funding if the Texas House and Senate approve TxDOT's new budget in 2015. TxDOT asked the state government to add $15 million to their budget over the next two years.
