TAXI-COUPON PROGRAM STILL GOING STRONG

A decade after the city chose subsidized taxi service as the most efficient way to address public transportation needs, the taxi coupon program continues to serve the city's elderly and handicapped residents.

City Manager J. Ronald Fischer said the coupon program has been altered during the past 10 years, but continues to serve a growing number of residents.

"I just think it's by far the most economical and efficient program possible, and it provides transportation to more people than if we had some type of scheduled busing program," Fischer said.

The city began to study the feasibility of mass transit during the 1970s, and in 1981 solicited and received bids from two companies to provide a bus system here. But those bids were rejected by the council as being too high.

The city then investigated the possibility of a lease agreement with a bus company. In July of 1981, the council agreed to a city-wide bus system on a trial basis, but the next month then Mayor Howard Tooke broke a 3-3 council deadlock and voted against acceptance of grant money for the transit system.

Two months later the council unanimously agreed to a subsidized taxi system to provide elderly and handicapped residents with low-cost transportation service.

The city wholly financed the program until August 1983. Since then, the city has received federal grant money annually to help defray the program's cost.

The program was highly visible during much of the 1980s when taxi coupon recipients stood in long lines at City Hall to buy coupon books on the first business day of each month.

But city officials eliminated the long lines in 1987 by going to new procedures that allowed participants to buy coupon books at any time.

Mary Thompson, city collector, said that when the program was started the city distributed about 6,000 coupon books annually. Last year the city budgeted for a total of 9,660 coupon books, mostly for elderly and handicapped residents, but distributed 10,739 books because of increased demand.

The books for handicapped individuals and those 60 years of age or older cost $8 each, which amounts to $1 per coupon. The same books cost $16 each for the general public.

Kelley Transportation Co., which operates the taxi service, receives $2.50 per redeemed coupon with the federal and city governments' subsidies supplementing the cost of the coupons.

Thompson said the great demand during the past couple years led the city to apply for a larger federal subsidy for the program. But city officials learned this summer that federal funding would instead be cut from $52,500 to $49,875.

"There's been a decrease in the federal subsidy even though we actually requested more than the $52,500," she said. "I'm not sure what we're going to do to make up for the shortfall."

Fischer said the city has tried to secure alternative sources of funds and has tried to eliminate potential abuses in the program to counter the shrinking federal subsidy.

"For the past two years, the demand for taxi coupons has increased," he said. "Last year, it became very obvious around mid-year that demand was running much higher than we anticipated."

Fischer said the city launched a campaign to re-register recipients of the taxi coupons to try to weed out those who might have abused the program.

"We were able to get it back somewhat in control," he said. "When I say we want to bring the program into control, I don't mean to reduce the availability of coupons.

"But everyone's in a dollar crunch and we have to constantly make sure we're getting the best buy for our buck."

Fischer said the city council instructed the city staff to ask the Cape Girardeau County Senior Services Board for a portion of the recently approved, countywide senior citizens services tax.

He said the Southeast Missouri Regional Planning and Economic Development Commission also will submit another grant application on behalf of Cape Girardeau to try to secure additional federal assistance for the program.

"We've increased our funding, and hopefully we'll receive some additional funds either through the county or this grant proposal," Fischer said. "Hopefully we'll be able to put something together here so that we can continue the program and maybe expand it a little.

"Our first priority is to meet the needs. We have been able to do that, but we also have tried to tighten up the program to make sure it's not being abused."

Fischer said he's certain the program is the most efficient and cost-effective way to provide low-cost public transportation to the city's elderly and handicapped residents.

"I think with the method by which we're approaching this need, we're getting more help to more people than we would if we actually went into the expense of actual ownership or lease of vehicles," he said.

"It's much more expensive and you have to worry about scheduling and routing, which leaves you with periods when people are forced to adjust their schedules according to the transportation scheduling."

Thompson has worked for the city since the taxi coupon program's creation in 1981. She called the program a success.

"It's definitely successful," the city collector said. "It's really helped the public a lot, and it's especially meeting the needs of the senior citizens and the handicapped."