In TriMet's current budget, and way of thinking, there's plenty of money for the $1.5 billion Portland-Milwaukie light-rail project and a groovy new bridge over the Willamette.
There's cash on hand for the Lake Oswego streetcar, staffing for the constipated Columbia River Crossing and start-up costs for the eastside streetcar. There's $53 million for bus maintenance, a million for media relations and government affairs, and $10 million in the mysterious file drawer labeled "Contingency."
But for YouthPass, the essential bus ride to school for more than 10,000 Portland teenagers?
Not so much.
OREGON LIVE
Mr. Mac then goes on to prove that he really couldn't care less about the removal of the youth transit pass while forgetting that the youth today are the future transit riders. Exposing teens to public transit early in their lives is better guaranteeing that we will keep at supporting transit as we get older.
I think the youth pass should be kept alive, but while being offered also to those outside of public schools, thus, private schooled kids (and the like) as well. Just because a kid goes to a private school doesn't always mean their families have a whole bunch of money every month so their kid can get back and forth to school on TriMet. We need to at least give the kids in private schools and the like, the option if they need it.
