Local bus service evolves

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POCATELLO - In his 32 years as manager of Pocatello Regional Transit, Ron Binggeli has seen bus routes evolve from serving the elderly to a large-scale regional bus transportation network.

''In those days, we had three vans. Today, there are about 40 buses,'' he said. ''In the early '80s, we were happy when we got 200 passengers a month. Now, there are half a million per year. We cover all seven counties in the district and two counties in the southern tip of Utah. The service area is now about 14,000 square miles.''

These days, with the high price of gasoline, the transit department is seeing more changes as Idahoans are increasingly turning to buses, instead of cars, as their daily mode of transportation. Binggeli said he has noticed this is especially true in rural counties, where people can save a significant amount of money on their long commutes.

The department is already preparing for higher gasoline prices.

''We have two new commuters, and we're working on a third one. And we know that's because of gas prices,'' Binggeli says. ''We're also working on projects for the urban area.

''If gasoline gets higher than $4 a gallon, we'll see a lot of tipping toward alternative transportation.''

But Binggeli also notes that increasing fuel costs will offset some of that increase in ridership.

Still, he doesn't expect the department to raise bus fares or reduce routes any time soon, thanks to federal funding programs that subsidizes public transportation.

Plus, when times are hard, Binggeli says, ''We have to be there for the community when it's difficult to pay for going to work and school.''

Let the questions begin:

ISJ: If you could have dinner with one famous person, who would it be?

RB: Barack Obama.

ISJ:Who inspires you the most?

RB: Former City Councilman L. Ed Brown.

ISJ: Who's your ideal next-door neighbor?

RB: Someone who's quiet.

ISJ: Any regrets?

RB: I wish I'd gotten a master's degree.

ISJ: What was your favorite vacation?

RB: Germany, 1997.

ISJ: What was the best day of your life?

RB: It was April 1 of this year, when I reached retirement age, and knew I had accomplished a career, and also knew I had other opportunities if I wanted to use them.

ISJ: The worst day?

RB: When my doctor told me I should probably have open heart surgery.

ISJ: What's in your refrigerator?

RB: Diet peach ice tea and salad.

ISJ: What's under your bed?

RB: Some shoes.

ISJ: What was the best piece of advice you ever received?

RB: Get an education. If I had not gotten that advice I might not have done it on my own. Years ago, some friends told me that.

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