Locally taxpayers fund school bussing to the combined tune of $884,332. Local taxpayers contribute an additional $3,844 to GMTA to provide public transportation for the elderly, the disabled and those whose income meets federal Medicaid guidelines.
Local businesses pay $76,940 for the Mad Bus which operates only in the winter and primarily on the mountain. Sugarbush pays the lion's share of that: $67,500. GMTA operates the entire Mad Bus system for $485,720.
Collectively, as towns, taxpayers and businesses, we're paying almost a million dollars to run our school buses, move skiers and move those eligible for GMTA services. Our million dollar expenditure is not providing public transportation for the Moretown resident who works in Warren, or the Warren resident who works in Montpelier, or the Fayston substitute teacher whose car is in the shop.
There's no public transportation service for people who need to get to CVH from The Valley and there's no way to get to or from Waterbury without a car. Our school buses are not full.
School bussing costs $884,332. The Mad Bus operated by GMTA costs $485,720 (with $76,940 in local share). There's a lot of money being spent and our buses are not full and we have no public transportation system for the general public.
Global warming aside, shouldn't we be rethinking the math?
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